Big news. Yesterday, Donald Trump summoned Defense Secretary Mark Esper to the oval office. When the meeting was over, Esper had a big announcement. The paperwork has been finalized and the Pentagon has officially approved an additional 3.6 billion in military construction funds for the border wall project.
This is on top of the 600 million that was reprogrammed from the Justice Department and another 2.5 billion from the Pentagon's drug interdiction programs. The Supreme Court had already given the green light for this other funding to be moved around.
When you add in the 1.4 billion that Congress already approved, that gives the Trump administration a whopping 8.1 billion for border wall construction over the next year. Originally, that was going to clear the way for 450 miles of new border fencing. But the Pentagon also just announced that the Army Corps of Engineers was able to negotiate with vendors to squeeze in an additional 20 miles of new fencing into the budget.
The President promised to secure the border, and he is delivering on that promise. Over the next year, 470 miles of new border wall will go up. Trump will build more pedestrian border wall in a year than all previous Presidents combined
Republicans, however, are furious. They fought hard to limit border wall construction. They are now promising to work with Democrats to pull the plug on Trump's national emergency and claw back the funding before it can be spent.
And the first vote on this surrender plan is just days away!
Congress must pass the Homeland Security Appropriations Act this month in order to avoid a government shutdown. This bill set the funding levels for DHS departments like ICE and Border Patrol.
Democrats and a few dozen Republicans are now rushing to pass a version of the spending bill that will claw back all of this funding.
Instead of being able to build over 470 miles of border wall next year, Trump would be blocked from renovating, repairing, or constructing any border wall sections.
How can the establishment do this? By adding a simple sentence to Section 227 of the bill.
"Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no Federal funds may be used for the construction of physical barriers along the southern land border of the United States during fiscal year 2020."
That's it. If this single, one-sentence provision passes, then border wall construction will end. President Trump would end his first term with just a handful of border wall sections completed.
That is what is at stake. President Trump is doing everything he can to secure the border. But if the GOP helps Democrats slip this amendment through, then it is all over...
Earlier this year, 25 Republicans teamed up with Democrats to try to revoke President Trump's border emergency.
They were Representatives Amash (MI), Fitzpatrick (PA), Gallagher (WI), Herrera-Beutler (WA), Hurd (TX), Johnson (SD), Massie (KY), Rodgers (WA), Rooney (FL), Sensenbrenner (WI), Stefanik (NY), Upton (MI), and Walden (OR) and Senators Alexander (TN), Blunt (MO), Collins (ME), Lee (UT), Moran (KS), Murkowski (AK), Paul (KY), Portman (OH), Rubio (FL), Romney (UT), Toomey (PA), and Wicker (MS).
Ultimately, these turncoats came just a few votes shy of being able to override Trump's veto. But that was as a standalone bill. With the Appropriations package, the stakes are much higher. If this must-pass spending bill does not pass, then the government shuts down.
The names above in bold are on the Appropriations Committees. They will have the final say over whether this amendment to block border wall construction survives. If they vote with Democrats, which is what they are promising to do, then the amendment survives. And if these 25 Republicans vote with the Left when the bill reaches the floor, then it will pass.
This is it. The fight is now here.
What happens over the next few days will determine the future of this country. We will either have a border wall, or we will not.
Now is the time to fight!
Now or never,
Joe Otto
Conservative Daily
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