{"id":39538,"date":"2020-04-28T18:48:36","date_gmt":"2020-04-28T18:48:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/04\/28\/dod-border-wall-funding-shift-hits-european-deterrence\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:18:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:18:29","slug":"dod-border-wall-funding-shift-hits-european-deterrence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2020\/04\/28\/dod-border-wall-funding-shift-hits-european-deterrence\/","title":{"rendered":"DoD\u2019s border wall funding shift hits Russia deterrence efforts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 The Pentagon is moving to scuttle nearly 19 more military construction projects \u2015 including $274 million worth in Europe to deter Russia \u2015 as a means to backfill a number of building projects at home that were deferred to pay for President Donald Trump\u2019s border wall<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defense Secretary Mark Esper directed the moves in a memo Monday to acting Pentagon Comptroller Elaine McCusker, which was obtained by Defense News. Overall, Esper plans to reshuffle $545.5 million in the department\u2019s construction budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The funding shifts detailed Tuesday would deal a particular blow to efforts to deter Russia in Europe, where roughly $1 billion in planned projects stand to lose funding to pay for the southern border wall. Those projects include infrastructure for military aircraft, fuel and munitions storage through the European Deterrence Initiative<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key House Democrats ripped the Trump administration for partially backfilling canceled military construction projects to build his \u201cwasteful\u201d border wall. House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., called it, \u201can end run around Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven worse, Trump is doing this by canceling funding for critical European Deterrence Initiative projects that were designed to bolster real national security needs and prevent Russian aggression against American allies and partners in Europe,\u201d they said in a joint statement Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce again, the Trump Administration is putting domestic political considerations ahead of national security, and Trump is trampling on Congress\u2019 power of the purse in the process. The American people deserve better, but they will only get it when Congressional Republicans join us and stand up to this out-of-control President.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest plan would move 2021 funding for projects in places like Texas and Guantanamo Bay, but also Spain, Norway, Germany, Jordan, Japan and the Kwajalein Atoll, so that the Pentagon restart 22 projects in 17 states that had been defunded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Esper in September approved the diversion of $3.6 billion from 127 military construction projects to pay for barriers and fences in Texas, Arizona and California, he suggested <\/a>European allies could help replenish $771 million for 40 projects across Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pentagon has maintained all the affected projects are \u201cdeferred,\u201d but Congress would have had to backfill the funding. In his memo on Monday, Esper said his new funding shifts would enable the execution of projects scheduled for contract awards this calendar year and would \u201censure adequate funding remains available\u201d for border wall projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The latest move comes as a federal appeals court<\/a> in Washington on Tuesday began considering the Trump administration\u2019s decision to use billions of dollars more than Congress intended by declaring the U.S.-Mexico border an emergency the Defense Department should handle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democrats and some Republicans have fiercely rejected<\/a> the move as a power grab by the executive branch.<\/p>\n\n\n\t