Capitol Hill tries to deny Pentagon use of $1B for border wall

Military Times: The Pentagon’s announcement that it would reprogram $1 billion in counterdrug funding to support the border wall was rejected Tuesday by the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, setting up a possible fight over which branch of government has final authority on how that money can be spent.

On Monday night, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced that he had authorized the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to spend up to $1 billion to support the Department of Homeland Security’s request “to build 57 miles of 18-foot-high pedestrian fencing, constructing and improving roads, and installing lighting within the Yuma and El Paso Sectors of the border.”

Read article