The Acting Defense Secretary, Patrick Shanahan, notified Congress on Friday that he Intended to Shift $1.5 Billion that had been Designated for the War in Afghanistan and other Projects to help Pay for Work on President Trump’s Border Wall.
The Money from the Pentagon’s other Programs will be the last that it moves to help Build about 80 Miles of Fencing and Barriers along the Southern Border, Shanahan said. The Newest Shift in Funding is in Addition to the $1 Billion that the Defense Department Transferred to Wall Construction in March from the Army’s Personnel Budget.
Shanahan insisted on Friday that the Budget Transfer would Not affect “Readiness,” the Military Catchall Term that refers to the Ability of American Troops to Fight when called up. But some of the Funds, Officials say $600 Million, “did come from money we were under-running or saving or whatever, you know, terminology you want to use, from Afghanistan,” he said.
The Pentagon notified Congress of the Funding Switch on Friday, One day after White House Officials said that Trump would Nominate Shanahan to formally fill the Job left Vacant when Jim Mattis Resigned as Defense Secretary in December.
The twinning of the moves is bound to affect what was already going to be a Challenging Confirmation Battle for Shanahan. In a Letter to the Acting defense Secretary on Friday, several Democratic Senators sharply Criticized the Diversion of Funds from the Afghan War effort.
“Once again, the Department of Defense has ignored decades of precedent and cooperation with the Congress in carrying out a transfer of funds without regard to any consultation with the Appropriations Committee,” said the Letter, which was signed by Senators Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), and Jack Reed (D-RI), among others. “We are dismayed that the department has chosen to prioritize a political campaign promise over the disaster relief needs of our service members.”
In the Letter, the Senators pointedly made a Link to Shanahan’s coming confirmation Battle. “We note that the decision to notify us of the reprogramming comes the day after you testified before the subcommittee on defense, and hours after the announcement of the president’s intent to nominate you to be secretary of defense,” the Senators wrote. “We look forward to hearing your views on how you intend to repair the damaged relationship between the defense oversight committees and the department.”
In particular, Lawmakers are Irate that the Pentagon is taking Money that was meant for Fighting a War and using it for what Democrats view as a Political move intended to assuage Trump’s base. Nowhere in the National Security Strategy, which Pentagon Leaders Approved, does it say that Migrant Caravans of People Fleeing Drug Violence in Central American Countries are a Threat to National Security.
Experts in Military budgets said that there is No Law barring Shanahan from Diverting the Funds, but added that it could make things Difficult for the Defense Department the Next time Military Leaders go to Capitol Hill seeking Additional Funding.
The Pentagon had Planned to spend $4.9 Billion in Afghanistan, Primarily to support Afghan Security Forces who have Struggled to Hold Parts of the Country beyond Kabul, the Capital, from Taliban Militants. American Officials said that the $600 Million that was being Diverted to the Border is coming from Savings that Officials Found in Contracts.
A Statement from a Pentagon Spokesman, Tom Crosson, was notable in what it did Not include any Word about Afghanistan and War Funding. “The funds were drawn from a variety of sources, including cost savings, programmatic changes and revised requirements,” he said. “This transfer of funds will not affect military preparedness, nor impact service member benefits.”
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