Pentagon officials on Friday would not say whether the Defense Department will seek approval from Congress before it moves billions of dollars from its counter-drug…
Pentagon officials on Friday would not say whether the Defense Department will seek approval from Congress before it moves billions of dollars from its counter-drug program coffers to fund President Trump ’s southern border wall.
At question is $2.5 billion from the Pentagon’s drug-interdiction program, which the White House has indicated it plans to repurpose under Trump’s national emergency declaration last week to help build a barrier at the U. S.-Mexico border.
Traditionally, when the Pentagon seeks to reprogram large amounts of dollars, it must notify Congress in advance. Lawmakers are then given the chance to agree or deny the request, though the Defense Department is not required by law to obtain an approval before it moves forward.
“It has been the practice of the Department of Defense to request approval and it’s not required by law,” one official told reporters when asked if the Pentagon would move forward on the reprogramming if Congress does not approve the request.
The official also told reporters that officials would notify Congress of such a reallocation, as legally required.
Should the Pentagon move the money without congressional approval, it would upset years of precedent and add to already tense pushback from lawmakers over the plan.
Defense hawks, in particular, have urged Trump not to divert the Pentagon dollars, insisting it would hurt military readiness.
