The Pentagon released details on the $3.6 billion in funds it will pony up to help pay for Trump’s Wall. Included in the plan, the Pentagon will defund “Hurricane Maria recovery projects at military installations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.” Ultimately, Puerto Rico stands to lose $400 million worth of planned projects.
According to The Washington Post: “The administration is also asking allies to foot the bill for some of the projects on foreign soil, the official said. Those include more than $770 million worth of projects for the European Deterrence Initiative and its predecessor program, which President Barack Obama launched in 2014 to shore up the defenses of European allies after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine.“
Schools and daycare centers that serve military families from “Kentucky to Germany to Japan will be affected.“
50 States and Territories Projects:
The lists of projects either defunded or put on hold do not affect only Red or Blue states; they’re “non-partisan” cuts.
The $3.6 billion dollars in diverted funds will finance 175 miles of southern border wall that will continue well after the election,
Of the 11 projects approved by the Secretary of Defense, six involve federal property, totaling approximately 94.5 miles, and five involve non-federal property, totaling approximately 81 miles, according to Pentagon spokesperson Chris Mitchell.
Four of the projects are located in Yuma, Arizona; two are in San Diego, California; two others are in El Paso, Texas; and the final project is in Laredo, Texas, Mitchell said Wednesday.
Construction is expected to begin in about 135 days in areas where the federal government already owns the land along the border, including the Department of Defense’s Barry M. Goldwater test range in Arizona, according to Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Comptroller Elaine McCusker.
