Jason Hopkins on May 9, 2019
The Pentagon announced that well over 200 miles of physical barrier is slated to be built along the U.S.-Mexico border in the coming months.
“We now have on contract sufficient funds to build about 256 miles of barrier,” acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan said Wednesday while testing before the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee. Shanahan noted that current funding is sourced from Treasury forfeiture funds, diverted money from the Pentagon, and other border funds secured by the Department of Homeland Security.
“How you will see this materialize in the next six months is that about 63 additional new miles of wall will come online,” the acting defense secretary added. The rate will equate to roughly half a mile of border wall a day.
President Donald Trump enraged Democrats after declaring a national emergency on the southern border in February, a move that allowed him to allocate billions more for wall construction. After the Pentagon diverted $1 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers in March to build new physical barriers, without first seeking congressional approval, Democratic lawmakers threatened to strip the Defense Department of its budget authority.
The Trump administration argues that the funds are not enough to quell the immigration crisis taking place at the U.S.-Mexico border, which is encountering unprecedented levels of family units and unaccompanied minors. The White House has requested an additional $4.5 in emergency border spending from Congress.
An Arizona construction company’s lawsuit against the Trump administration revealed where wall projects are taking place as of April. Construction projects are underway in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas; Yuma, Arizona; New Mexico and elsewhere.
In total, $7.2 billion for border operations is requested in the Department of Defense’s 2020 fiscal year budget — half of those funds would be spent solely on physical barriers.
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OUTSTANDING!!! BEST PROMISE KEPT EVER!!! BUILD THAT WALL!
Finish the wall, then man it with video surveillance and state of the art motion detectors, then go after the illegals already in the country. Check the voter rolls and social security rolls first. Throw these illegals out first. Stop the drain of taxpayer money on non citizens.
The Democrats are hard at work registering illegals to vote; especially in California, New York, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Voter IDs are needed in all states to prevent anyone not eligible to vote from voting. Remember, it takes two legal votes to overcome one illegal vote. That is why Democrats are pushing illegals to register.
GO TRUMP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DITTO........DITTO. MAGA President Trump !
Thank you President Trump and acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan and all the others making this possible. We need secure borders and leadership that cares about the Americans living in America. Not the Democrats that would open the floodgates and let anyone, and I mean anyone, into our country. We have a legal way for people to become citizens. It should be merit based. We can't afford the care, feeding, medical bills, schooling, etc. for untold millions of illegal Democratic voters. MAGA and Trump2020!