Pentagon provides list of military projects that could be hit to pay for wall

The Pentagon on Monday (local time) announced a list of military projects that would "derail" if US President Donald Trump takes money from national security budget for the proposed wall along the US-Mexico border.

"We know President Trump wants to take money from our national security accounts to pay for his wall, and now we have a list of some of the projects and needed base repairs that could be derailed or put on the chopping block as a result," said The Hill quoted Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Senator Jack Reed as saying.

The 21-page list of military projects came days after acting Defence secretary Patrick Shanahan vowed to provide the document to Congress.

 

On March 14, the Republican-controlled Senate voted to disapprove the emergency declaration by 59 votes to 41, in what was a sharp rebuke to Trump. The resolution was already passed in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives by 245 votes to 182 last month, with 13 Republicans supporting the Democrats.

Subsequently, the US President Donald Trump issued his first veto rejecting as "dangerous" and "reckless" congressional resolution of his emergency declaration and asserted that Americans would be "put at risk" at the southern border with Mexico if the measure became a law.

Trump vetoed a resolution of disapproval of his emergency declaration, which was declared to get his wall funded and built along the US-Mexico border.

The resolution will now return to the House of Representatives, which is expected to vote on overriding Trump's veto on March 26. However, lawmakers lack the two-thirds support of the chamber required to pass the measure.

It was the first time that the US President used his veto power to block legislation which came after 12 Senate Republicans sided with the Democrats to reject Trump's use of his emergency power to bypass the Congress and fund the border wall's construction.

On February 15, a defiant Trump declared a national emergency to bypass Congress and fulfil his long-pending demand of building the wall along the border with Mexico.

Defending his move, the US President asserted that he had "no choice" but to use his emergency powers to stop illegal immigrants spreading crime and drugs.