The Pentagon soon may be getting back billions of dollars taken from Department of Defense accounts by the Trump administration to help finance Mr. Trump’s Mexico border wall over the last four years.
The Biden administration has ordered the cancellation of all border barrier construction projects paid for with funds originally intended for military use, Pentagon officials said Friday.
The Department of Defense “has begun taking all necessary actions to cancel border barrier projects and to coordinate with interagency partners,” said Jamal Brown, deputy Pentagon spokesman. “Today’s actions reflect this administration’s continued commitment to defending our nation and supporting our service members and their families.”
Pentagon officials did not release the exact figure of how much money might now be returned to Defense Department projects that had been put on hold such as overseas military construction, on base schools for the children of military members and needed equipment for National Guard and Reserve units. But based on congressional appropriation cycles, the total figure appears to be more than $14 billion.
The money appropriated by Congress for military construction projects was diverted to the Department of Homeland Security because the wall, one of President Trump’s top priorities, was considered a vital national security concern. President Biden campaigned against the wall and against shifting funds for its construction from the Defense Department.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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