{"id":32649,"date":"2019-03-08T22:13:32","date_gmt":"2019-03-08T22:13:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/03\/08\/house-democrats-demand-shanahan-explain-border-wall-funding-scheme\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:48:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:48:26","slug":"house-democrats-demand-shanahan-explain-border-wall-funding-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/2019\/03\/08\/house-democrats-demand-shanahan-explain-border-wall-funding-scheme\/","title":{"rendered":"House Democrats demand Shanahan explain border wall funding scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has a lot of explaining to do, say key lawmakers who worry the Trump administration is keeping Congress in the dark as the White House works to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/02\/14\/what-base-projects-lose-out-if-trump-uses-military-money-to-build-his-wall\/\" target=_blank>divert military funds<\/a> toward building barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/appropriations.house.gov\/sites\/democrats.appropriations.house.gov\/files\/documents\/2019.03.07%20Approps.HASC%20Border%20Wall%20DOC%20REQ-03072019174224.pdf\" target=_blank>letter<\/a> to Shanahan made public Friday, a group of five House Democrats led by Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., and Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., demanded Shanahan turn over an exhaustive trove of documents from 25 categories related to President Donald Trump\u2019s national emergency declaration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2019\/02\/27\/frustrated-lawmakers-press-pentagon-for-plan-to-fund-border-wall\/\" target=_blank>In<\/a> and out of the public eye, lawmakers have met with the Pentagon officials sent to defend the administration\u2019s plans \u2014 acting Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment Robert McMahon \u2014 and come away fuming that details of Pentagon deliberations are being withheld and fearful Shanahan may take action without informing Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhile the President has issued a national emergency proclamation, our committees are still responsible for performing their constitutional oversight responsibilities,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/appropriations.house.gov\/sites\/democrats.appropriations.house.gov\/files\/documents\/2019.03.07%20Approps.HASC%20Border%20Wall%20DOC%20REQ-03072019174224.pdf\" target=_blank>the lawmakers wrote<\/a>. \u201cAs such, given the speed with which we believe the Department of Defense may be acting in response to the emergency proclamation, we request that you produce the requested documents and information no later than March 21, 2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The letter asks that the Pentagon commit to warning Congress 60 days before shifting any funds toward border wall construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/03\/01\/trumps-border-wall-to-cast-long-shadow-over-fy20-defense-budgetand-thats-not-all\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"210\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1053880062.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Border wall casts long shadow over FY20 defense budget \u2014 and that\u2019s not all<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Even before it arrives, the defense budget proposal is already taking flak from lawmakers over the bookkeeping gimmickry that\u2019s likely to accompany it.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Loaded with bullet points, their six-page document request also puts a heavy burden on Shanahan and other military officials to explain and justify the movement of funds from the handful of categories, particularly the most politically sensitive of them all \u2014 military construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The letter was also signed by House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chairman Pete Visclosky, D-Ind.; House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.; and House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee Chairman John Garamendi, D-Calif.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Next week, the Republican-controlled Senate is poised to pass a resolution that would cancel Trump\u2019s national emergency. The House passed the resolution, and four Republican senators have said they will cross party lines to send the resolution to the president \u2014 which would bait his veto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The national emergency declaration was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefings-statements\/funds-available-address-national-emergency-border\/\" target=_blank>intended<\/a> to let Trump bypass Congress and fund a border wall with $1.4 billion appropriated by Congress, $3.1 billion in Treasury and DoD counter-drug funding \u2014 and after those are exhausted, military construction dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3593\" height=\"2701\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1132592596.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-58031\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1132592596.jpg.jpg 3593w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1132592596.jpg.jpg?resize=300,226 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1132592596.jpg.jpg?resize=768,577 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1132592596.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,770 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1132592596.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1155 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1132592596.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1540 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3593px) 100vw, 3593px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Deborah Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., speaks during a House Appropriations Committee hearing on February 27, 2019 in Washington, DC. The committee is hearing testimony on President Trump\u2019s 2019 national emergency declaration regarding the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico border. (Photo by Mark Wilson\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Writing in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/magazine\/story\/2019\/03\/08\/trump-national-emergency-border-wall-money-defense-construction-225699\" target=_blank>Politico<\/a> this week, Gordon Adams, a White House budget official from the Clinton administration, said that beyond lawmakers\u2019 concerns their constitutional powers are being usurped are their concerns about the economic and political impact of canceling construction projects back home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThose trivially small projects, most of them well under $35 million, are one of the most precious pieces of pork in the budget,\u201d Adams wrote. \u201cMembers of Congress fall over themselves to protect and enhance a local base. Military construction dollars are a key part of their effort.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, lawmakers fear Pentagon leaders will abandon the practice of formally asking for authority to shift funds between accounts and simply put them in the counter-drug account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are similarly frustrated by the lack of transparency from the Department of Defense with respect to the planning and use of section 284 [counter-drug] authority, as well as the disregard for decades of precedent with regard to congressional oversight of the transfer of authorized and appropriated funds,\u201d the March 7 letter reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/03\/08\/taking-personnel-funds-to-help-build-trumps-wall-wont-hit-military-paychecks-but-could-cause-budget-woes\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Border.jpg_536879.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Taking personnel funds to help build Trump\u2019s border wall won\u2019t hit military paychecks, but could cause budget woes<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Lawmakers are unhappy with new Pentagon plans to move $1 billion in unused personnel money without consulting with Congress first.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith, earlier in the week, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/federal-budget\/2019\/03\/06\/house-dems-threaten-to-block-pentagons-money-moving-authority-in-border-wall-fight\/\" target=\"_blank\">threatened<\/a> that Democrats would strip the Pentagon of its ability to shift funds within its budget next year if it doesn\u2019t get approval from the congressional defense committees first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy concern is not where it is coming from,\u201d Smith told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/03\/08\/taking-personnel-funds-to-help-build-trumps-wall-wont-hit-military-paychecks-but-could-cause-budget-woes\/\" target=\"_blank\">Military Times<\/a> on Friday. \u201cMy concern is where it is going: to something that has nothing to do with the national security of this country and where we should not be spending money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The concern is coming from both sides of the aisle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNot following the practice that has been followed by decades will affect the relationship between the legislative branch and executive branch,&#8221; said HASC ranking member Mac Thornberry, R-Texas. &#8220;There will be a reaction, and it will make it harder to reprogram in the future to meet emerging needs.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How will the Pentagon pay for the border wall? Lawmakers worry Congress is being sidelined.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":92848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":38,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[38,106,31,33,9],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3334],"class_list":["post-32649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress","category-daily-brief","category-home","category-newsletters","category-federal-oversight"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"JOWPJPPGIVER5AO4OGQZJPBKCE","arc_canonical_url":"\/congress\/2019\/03\/08\/house-democrats-demand-shanahan-explain-border-wall-funding-scheme\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>House Democrats demand Shanahan explain border wall funding scheme - Federal Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How will the Pentagon pay for the border wall? 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