rumitoid

Trump is not in charge of appropriations: that is the job of Congress. He violated the Constitution with his executive order to defund strategic and necessary improvements to protect our service men and women. That is ego-driven by the president and a disgrace to our military. His image is all he cares about. Screw America! His thoughts, not mine.

vernon

I think that from these ignorant rants you are putting out you must have gotten some real bad weed or crack. The court approved this and its just k*****g these stupid demoRATS that they can't stop this man he is just to much for them.

woodguru

No court approved this, and the list of projects includes so many projects in Europe designed to protect them against Russia that it looks like a list designed by Putin to keep the US from helping our allies against Russia.

This list of appropriations was carefully drawn out by defense and intelligence in committee, who responded to the urgency deemed necessary for bolstering defenses...yes it is illegal for the president to circumvent congress. They are in charge of budgets, not Trump

woodguru

You need to take a civics class there Wilber, congress is in charge, and the only thing that is too much about this president is the degree with which he is willing to defy the law and constitution.

What good are congressional budgets if the president takes money from defense wherever he wants?

Rose42

Whether you agree with the decision or not, SCOTUS ruled in favor of it.

Supreme Court: Trump Can Use Pentagon Funds for Border Wall

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2019/07/28/supreme_court_trump_can_use_pentagon_funds_for_border_wall_140877.html

Lonewolf

what's even better it won't cost a fraction of the cost to build it to tear it down!

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

President Trump is much smarter than you know. After the government sutdown over funding for the wall, Congress ended up passing legislation — signed by the president — that included $1.4 billion for border barriers, and Trump identified roughly $8.1 billion from other accounts to fund construction of the border wall, which included the $2.5 billion from the Pentagon’s drug interdiction program and $3.6 billion from its military construction fund to be siphoned under his emergency declaration. So, it was approved by congress. Further, in July 2019, The Supreme Court ruled Trump can spend military funds on border wall.

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

Problem with you line of thinking, even Democrats would be against tearing it down once it is constructed and v****g would reflect that opinion, keeping Republicans in office for the foreseeable future. Besides, from Clinton, Bush Jr, and Obama recognized the need for barriers to keep i******s out. They just lacked the balls to do anything about it!

rumitoid

Thank you. Most informative. Was unaware that Trump could siphon that money from national security projects of the Military.

rumitoid

I agree with the Wall, and have said so repeatedly. Open borders is insane. Those mentioned by you did not "lack the balls to do anything."

https://psmag.com/news/did-democrats-support-border-barriers-before-trump-took-office
Nonetheless, the Trump team is correct that, in past decades, Democrats have been generally enthusiastic in their support for increased border security. The first border wall between San Diego and Tijuana went up under President Bill Clinton. In 2011, then-President Obama noted proudly that, under his presidency, Customs and Border Patrol had more agents than ever before: "We have strengthened border security beyond what many believed was possible," he said. "We now have more boots on the ground on the southwest border than at any time in our history. The Border Patrol has 20,000 agents—more than twice as many as there were in 2004, a build-up that began under President Bush and that we have continued."

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

Just imagine the money that could have been put to better use had Clinton built an actual wall instead of barbwire and signs. And imagine how much more effective a wall would be and not putting boots on the border....how many border patrol has been kidnapped or simply murdered? 38, but they stopped listing names. How many wounded? One good wall.....could it have saved Border Patrol and innocent civilians … go here http://www.ojjpac.org/memorial.asp count the names and look at their photos. There are a few pages, do not stop until you read them all.

JoyV

The money was already approved by Congress for the military. It is for construction. Other military funding was given by Congress for fighting the war on drugs. The wall is a construction project to protect our country from the entry of invasions and drug, gun, and human trafficking. So the money is still being used for the purpose it was intended. Nothing was defunded.

Even if any other construction project was more vital than protecting our nation's borders, he is the commander in chief of the military. Since Congress ALREADY assigned the money to the military, the commander of the military has every right to use it as he sees fit. That he is using it for the very purpose the military (not Congress) intended it; in what conceivable way is it unconstitutional?

So to make this simple. The legislative releases funds to various departments in the executive branch. Each department, such as the military, DHS, DOJ, etc; use their funds in their area of duty and authority. Sometimes Congress funds specific projects, such as if they had funded the wall directly. But for military funds to be used within the military authority and duty (protecting our country; especially if it is to be used for the specific goal the military had earmarked it for; is well within the purview of the military whose commander ordered it so used for a specific construction and drug smuggling prevention.

JoyV

But he did NOT circumvent Congress. Congress passed the military funding. The military is using the funding Congress already passed, and using it for the purpose of defending our nation as is their job. And doing it with funds earmarked for construction and funds earmarked for the war on drugs. Both of those Congress approved tasks are being engaged by our military building the wall.

JoyV

He isn't TAKING money from defense. He isn't even redirecting it. He, the commander in chief of our military, is using money Congress already assigned to defense which was to be used for construction, to use for construction. He, the commander in chief of our military, is using money Congress already assigned to defense which was to be used for the war on drugs, to be used to prevent drug trafficking into our country.

JoyV

Talk about cost, Congress approved $7 billion to fund 2,000 miles of border wall/fencing with which Obama used $1 billion for 50 miles of virtual fencing built by Boeing which was never able to be made to work, and when canceled, even if it would never be expanded to 100 miles, would still cost more $billions. The Obama used some of the funds to put in vehicle barriers at high cost which usually consists of posts space close enough that a vehicle like a truck or van can't pass through (but could often go around by detouring a few miles), and to by private property along the lower Rio Grand under eminent domain to build the wall through people's property well away from the river with each property having a gate to get to their property on the side of the wall facing Mexico. There are still many court battles going on over the fiasco.

And all the myriad federal lawyers couldn't even understand that buying land without the water rights would tie up its use; especially when it involves water rights along a waterway.

So how many $billions did he spend on the wall which was both more than Trump asked for and much of which was near useless.

The portions of wall which was already up and functioning when Trump came in, were mostly built before Obama came into office.