The Pentagon announced $1.5B for border barriers Friday. What's the status of the wall?

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's signature campaign promise was the construction of a wall on the southern border, a promise that has animated some of the largest political fights of his presidency. In December 2018, the federal government partially shut down for 35 days after Trump refused to sign a government funding bill that did not contain sufficient funding for a border wall. In the third year of the Trump presidency, is a wall being built?

As of 2017, about one-third of the U.S.-Mexico border, or 654 miles, was already fenced, but Trump calls a wall a necessary component of border security improvements.

The appropriations bill that Congress passed in February to reopen the government allocated $1.375 billion for 55 miles of border barriers — hardly the wall along the entire border that Trump wants. By law, the administration could only use previously approved designs, which ruled out a concrete wall.

The limited funding appropriated by Congress hasn't stopped the administration from trying to shift pools of money around departments to pay for more border barrier or wall construction, though.

On Wednesday, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told the Senate Defense Appropriations subcommittee that the Pentagon had amassed the funding necessary to build 256 miles of border barriers.

"How you will see this materialize in the next six months is that about 63 additional new miles of wall will come online. So about half a mile a day will be produced," said Shanahan.

As of the time of publication, the Pentagon had not responded to requests for comment about the locations of those sections of border wall.

President Trump's declaration of a national emergency gave the Pentagon the authority to move billions of dollars from various funds throughout the federal government for border wall construction. Congress attempted to override the emergency declaration, but President Trump vetoed the bill that would have done so.

Defense officials tour the border: Billions could be diverted for Trump's wall

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Now that the Trump administration has announced the diversion of funds to border wall construction, Democratic legislators object to the reshuffling of funds on the grounds that it violates Congress' appropriations powers.

During Wednesday's hearing, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., called the administration's shifting of funds an "end run" around the committee.

In the meantime, the Department of Defense aims to carry out the president's marching orders.

On Friday, the Department of Defense announced that $1.5 billion more had been reprogrammed for about 78.25 miles of "fence replacement" around Tuscon, Ariz. and El Centro, Texas. Shanahan told reporters that "I won't be reprogramming any more money for the border wall."

According to Department of Defense spokesperson Tom Crosson, "The funds were drawn from a variety of sources, including cost savings, programmatic changes and revised requirements. This transfer of funds will not affect military preparedness, nor impact service member benefits."

Congressional Democrats slammed the transfer of funds, sending a letter to Shanahan voicing their disappointment.

“We are dismayed that the Department has chosen to prioritize a political campaign promise over the disaster relief needs of our service members, given the finite reprogramming authority available,” the senators wrote.

There are also 4,364 active-duty and National Guard troops currently stationed on the southern border as part of a controversial deployment for border security purposes. Shanahan is scheduled to travel to McAllen, Texas, Saturday to meet with them.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Pentagon announced $1.5B for border barriers Friday. What's the status of the wall?