Trump is pressuring the military to pay for his border wall with funding from the omnibus, which is illegal because wall funding requires a congressional vote.
The Washington Post reported, “It would be unlikely for the military to fund the wall, according to White House and Defense Department officials. The president has suggested to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis that his department, instead of the Department of Homeland Security, could fund the construction, two Trump advisers said. The Pentagon has plenty of money, but reprogramming it for a wall would require votes in Congress that the president does not seem to have. Taking money from the current 2018 budget for the wall would require an act of Congress, said a senior Pentagon official.”
Having the military fund the wall without a Senate vote would be illegal
Trump promised that Mexico would pay for the wall. Mexico isn’t going to pay for the border wall. Trump tried to hold the Dreamers hostage to get Democrats to pay for the wall. Democrats are not going to pay for the wall. Trump tried to get congressional Republicans to pay for the wall. Congressional Republicans aren’t going to pay for the wall, so with nowhere else to turn, Trump is trying to illegally divert funds from the troops to pay for a wall that no one wants besides Trump and his tiny base of hardcore supporters.
The president can’t reappropriate funds without a congressional vote. It would be illegal and unconstitutional for him to do so. The idea that Trump can move funds around at his whim without Congress is a threat to the Constitution.
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It is not a matter of presidential ignorance. Trump is intentionally trying to carry out an unconstitutional action as an act of sabotage against our system of governance.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
