Trump reportedly plans to divert another $7 billion in Pentagon funds for border wall construction

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 14 January 2020

President Trump reportedly plans to again divert money from the Pentagon for border wall construction, and significantly more than Congress authorized in this year's budget.

Trump, The Washington Post reports, is preparing to divert $7.2 billion in Pentagon funds for border wall construction this year, about five times what he had been authorized to spend by Congress. The funds would again come from military construction projects as well as counternarcotics funding, the Post says.

This comes after a federal judge last month said Trump couldn't use $3.6 billion in repurposed military construction funds for the border wall, instituting a nationwide permanent injunction. But an appeals court recently lifted this injunction while the legal challenges continue. The Trump administration saw this recent decision as "additional encouragement to take the money again this year," the Post reports.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

The $7.2 billion in funding will be enough to finish about 885 miles of new fencing by spring 2022, the Post says. The Trump administration has finished 101 miles of new barriers so far, which the Post notes is "far less than the 450 miles the president has promised to erect by the end of the year." With this $7.2 billion, Trump will have allocated $18.4 billion in federal funds for border fencing during his administration.

Explore More

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox