The Pentagon notified Congress on Monday evening that it had transferred $1 billion of its budget to the Department of Homeland Security for new border wall construction along the U.S.-Mexico border, CNN reported.
The money will go toward building 57 miles of new fencing, as well as other security measures along the Uma and El Paso portions of the border. The move was made as part of President Trump’s national emergency declaration made to diverge funds from other areas to build his pet-project border wall. The move was roundly criticized and rejected by both the House and the Senate, but Trump vetoed the measure meant to block the emergency declaration.
The transfer of funds sparked immediate uproar from Democrats, who sent a letter to acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan objecting to the transfer and expressing “serious concern” that the Defense Department was bending to “political interference,” according to CNN.
