In March, the Pentagon circulated a list of hundreds of projects that constituted a broader $6.8 billion universe of projects under consideration.
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President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House, Sept. 4, 2019.
President Donald Trump said that he and Defense Secretary Mark Esper believe the money is needed in the name of “national security.”
“It is when you have thousands of people trying to rush our country. I think that’s national security, when you have drugs pouring into our country,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday. “I view that as national security and [Esper] had very good conversations with various members of Congress.”
(MORE: Q&A: Here’s a breakdown of where Trump’s border wall stands)
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Sen. Mark Warner talks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol, July 9, 2019, in Washington, D.C.
The Pentagon informed Virginia Democratic Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine that the administration plans to move money from four military construction projects in Virginia, including a Cyber Operations Facility at Joint Base Langley-Eustis that will lose $10 million; a Navy Ships Maintenance Facility in Portsmouth that will lose $26.1 million; a project to replace a hazardous materials warehouse in Norfolk that will lose $18.5 million; and another project to replace a hazardous materials warehouse in Portsmouth that will lose $22.5 million.
“Taking money away from our military — including funding to support critical projects here in Virginia — will mean we are less equipped to tackle threats here at home and abroad,” Warner said.
Trump predicted that 500 miles of refurbished border wall will be built by the end of next year, shortly after the presidential election.
“We are building very large sections of wall,” Trump said. “We should have it almost complete, if not complete, by the end of next year.”
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
