It really does sound like Donald Trump thinks he can make withdrawals from the defense budget like it’s some sort of ATM. A few days ago, he tweeted that “our Military is again rich. Building a great Border Wall, with drugs (poison) and enemy combatants pouring into our Country, is all about National Defense. Build WALL through M!” Assuming that “M” is for military and not Mexico or the Divine Ms. M, was he was saying the former should foot the bill for his stupid border wall that he’d been insisting since 2015 our southern neighbor was going to pay for? The Washington Post reports—yup indeed:
Trump, who told advisers he was spurned in a large spending bill last week when lawmakers appropriated only $1.6 billion for the border wall, has begun suggesting that the Pentagon could fund the sprawling construction, citing a “national security” risk.
After floating the notion to several advisers last week, he told House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) that the military should pay for the wall, according to three people familiar with the meeting last Wednesday in the White House residence. Ryan offered little reaction to the notion, these people said, but senior Capitol Hill officials later said it was an unlikely prospect.
The individuals spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk freely about private discussions.
Spine of steel as always from that Paul Ryan. According to the report, “Trump noted that the Department of Defense was getting so much money as part of a $1.3 trillion spending package that the Pentagon could surely afford the border wall, two White House officials said.” That’s truly Mnuchian—except a Pentagon official said that “reprogramming it for a wall would require votes in Congress that the president does not seem to have.” Bummer for Trump, though really he should be thankful. Imagine the next rally he holds, when he starts up that chant once people start getting bored with his rambling: “Who’s gonna pay for the wall? The U.S. military through U.S. taxpayers!” It just doesn’t have the same ring.
Wednesday, Mar 28, 2018 · 7:03:03 PM +00:00 · Gabe Ortiz
Last year, Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego, a U.S. military veteran, introduced an amendment to block this exact move. While it passed out of committee, House Republicans killed the amendment late at night before the bill hit the floor. Here’s what he said at the time:
“Once again, Speaker Ryan and the House Republicans are doing President Trump’s dirty work,” said Rep. Gallego, a Marine Corps veteran. “They didn’t have the courage to oppose my amendment in Committee or on the House floor. Instead, Republicans are resorting to legislative gimmickry to do Trump’s bidding. With this self-executing rule, they are attempting to slip one past Congress and the American people.
“Just five months into his administration, it’s already abundantly clear that Mexico won’t pay for Trump’s pointless border wall. We must not allow resources to be robbed from our troops just to satisfy Trump’s fragile ego.”