Pentagon to transfer additional $1.5B for border barriers

The Pentagon intends to reprogram another $1.5 billion to build barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a defense official.

The money would be transferred from Overseas Contingency Operations funds spent on training Afghan Security Forces; savings gained from a variety of Defense Department contracts; and underruns in munitions spending, the official said.

The Defense Department released a short statement saying the funds would go toward "fence replacement" on four projects around Tucson, AZ and El Centro, TX, totaling just over 78 miles.

The reprogramming would be done without the approval of Congress, which the department, up until recently, relied on to clear large funding transfers if they were happening outside a specific appropriations bill.

The Pentagon overturned decades of precedent in March when, without the approval of Congress, it reprogrammed $1 billion to build 57 miles of border barriers.

Pentagon officials acknowledge the upsetting of precedent, but have pointed out they are not legally required to obtain congressional approval for budgetary reprogrammings.

The department has since submitted several other reprogramming requests that seek lawmakers' approval, making the border barrier transfer unique occurrences.

Democrats in Congress, who oppose President Trump's border barrier strategy, have warned Pentagon officials that they plan to eliminate or restrict all of DOD's reprogramming authority in the future.

Former Pentagon Comptroller Bob Hale recently penned an op-ed warning about the consequences of DOD bucking congressional oversight and losing its authority to reprogram funds.

"I remain concerned that the transfer of funds to the wall will disrupt DOD's ability to reprogram funds even though reprogramming is critical to effective financial management at the department," he told Inside Defense.

Acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan, meanwhile, recently told Inside Defense he hopes Congress will not completely remove DOD's transfer authority.

"I trust that Congress will not hurt our commanders in the field or our warfighters [by removing reprogramming authority]," he said. "I trust that Congress will not hurt the readiness we worked so hard to rebuild. I trust that they will take their frustration out on me."