Fri. Mar 29th, 2024
Patrick Shanahan

Hours after the United States President Donald Trump declared a national emergency, the acting US secretary of defence Patrick Shanahan said he could decline to direct billion dollars in Pentagon funds which Trump is relying on in order to construct a border wall at US border along with Mexico.

According to Quartz news reports, Shanahan told reporters, “Very deliberately we have not made any decision,” about how the defence department would respond to the US president’s declaration, as he returned from a trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. Shanahan said that “there have been no determinations by me” that a border wall is necessary, further making it clear that he believed that he has authority to determine how any military funds will get spend and military personnel will be deployed.

Trump has on February 15 said he planned to use $6 billion, which was targeted for counter-drug activities and military construction, in Pentagon, in order to build a wall.

In a press conference, Shanahan said: “All of this money has been assigned for other purposes, so it really then comes to what … are you going to trade off, because when you say tradeoff, it really is a tradeoff.”

Shanahan’s remark was a part of the coordinated efforts by the Pentagon pushing back on Trump over the issue.

In a statement, the Pentagon said the department of defence “is authorized to determine whether border barriers are necessary to support the use of the armed forces in this emergency and whether to redirect funds for unobligated military construction funds to support that”, after Trump’s declaration.

Asked on February 16 whether he had (personally) the “discretion” to determine the amount of money went to a wall or if it was needed to acquiesce to White House’s urge, Shanahan told reporters, “No, I’m not required to do anything.” He added he has not held talks with Trump this weekend.

He said he has asked the “Northern command” to work with a joint staff over a “mission analysis of the border” weeks ago. He added he asked them: “Based on the influx of either drugs or people, how would you assign DOD personnel, guard or reserve, to support the Department of Homeland Security broadly.” He had reviewed that analysis this week, he added.

In a tweet, Shanahan had highlighted the press interaction, calling it “great conversation”.

https://twitter.com/DepSecDef/status/1097091569524576256

Trump’s declaration of national emergency faces challenges in the court from the Public Citizen, an advocacy group, and ACLU. Both houses of the US Congress are planning some resolution to put an end to it.

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