POLITICS MARCH 27, 2019 / 5:33 PM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO

Despite Congress' ire, Pentagon to transfer $1 billion for Trump wall

Phil Stewart
2 MIN READ

MIAMI (Reuters) - Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Wednesday he would push ahead with plans to transfer $1 billion to help fund President Donald Trump’s wall on the U.S. border with Mexico, even as he acknowledged a likely backlash from Congress.

Democratic Representative Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said on Tuesday that the panel did not approve the proposed shift in Pentagon expenditure. Any decision to go ahead anyway could prompt Congress to create new restrictions that could impact the Pentagon in the future.

Asked whether his plan was to move ahead regardless, Shanahan said: “Yes, it is.”

“There are going to be consequences. I understand the position of the committees. I also have a standing legal order from the commander-in-chief,” he said.

Congress could attempt to cut off the Pentagon’s authority to reprogram funds, something Smith hinted at during the hearing.

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