Senate Uses Pandemic Bill to Fill Accounts Raided For Trump’s Border Wall

July 28, 2020by Mark Satter, CQ-Roll Call (TNS)
Senate Uses Pandemic Bill to Fill Accounts Raided For Trump’s Border Wall
The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Coronavirus relief programs are due to run out in the coming weeks and months. (Dreamstime/TNS)

WASHINGTON — Billions of dollars included in Senate Republicans’ proposed $1 trillion installment of coronavirus emergency relief funding would restore money for military hardware that was redirected to pay for President Donald Trump’s border wall.

The Trump administration reprogrammed funding for a slew of ships, aircraft and other weaponry earlier this year to pay for the politically contentious wall on the border with Mexico, which Democrats have opposed.

The bill, made public Monday evening, includes money for fighter jets, helicopters, radars, ships and armored vehicles that is exempt from this year’s budget caps because it is considered emergency spending.

The legislation would not only restore funds to some defense programs cut by the White House, but also allow for some political wins on the behalf of its sponsors, like Sen. Richard C. Shelby, R-Ala., the chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

The measure would restore $260 million in funding to the Navy’s Expeditionary Fast Transport Vessel, just short of the $261 million that was reprogrammed. The ship is built in Shelby’s home state of Alabama by Austal USA.

Also restored by the bill is $686 million for the production of the F-35A fighter jet, from which $156 million was redirected to the border wall. The F-35 is produced in Fort Worth, Texas, the home state of Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who co-sponsored the bill.

Another aircraft cut by the White House was the Navy’s P-8A Poseidon, which lost $180 million during reprogramming. The proposed legislation would put over $1 billion back into that program.

Funding for the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account, which lost $1.3 million in the reprogramming, would receive roughly $800 million in the Senate’s version of the pandemic relief package.

Senate Republicans said the defense funds are necessary to offset the economic damage done by the coronavirus.

“The pandemic continues to threaten the defense industrial base and thousands of vulnerable suppliers across the country who support it. That puts thousands and thousands of jobs in jeopardy. The chairman believes Congress must act, not turn a blind eye,” a Shelby spokeswoman said.

“I don’t buy that,” said Todd Harrison, director of defense budget analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “The bill shows that Senate Republicans were never happy with the Trump administration taking dollars for specific defense programs and moving that money — even if they agreed with the border wall.”

Harrison warned that the bill should be evaluated in the context of an opening to negotiations with House Democrats. “It’s highly unlikely that the bill will be written into law as it’s currently written,” he said.

Democrats immediately balked at the proposed legislation. In a tweet, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York said that Republicans were fighting for big banks and defense contractors in their proposal, rather than American families.

In a Tuesday statement, Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the defense money a slush fund.

“The Senate GOP proposal is a sad statement of their values, selling out struggling families at the kitchen table in order to enrich the corporate interests at the boardroom table,” they said.

———

©2020 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A+
a-

In The News

Health

Voting

Congress

March 27, 2024
by TWN Staff
Rep. Cleaver New Co-Chair of House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus

WASHINGTON — Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., is the new Democratic co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... Read More

WASHINGTON — Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., is the new Democratic co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus. He was invited to serve as co-chair by Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, the co-chairs of the Senate Renewable Energy and Energy... Read More

March 27, 2024
by Dan McCue
New Dem Chair Kuster Announces Retirement Following 2024 Election

CONCORD, N.H. — Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., who, among other things, is the current chair of the New Democrat Coalition... Read More

CONCORD, N.H. — Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., who, among other things, is the current chair of the New Democrat Coalition in the House, revealed Wednesday that she will not seek reelection to Congress this year. In a lengthy statement released by her office, Kuster gives no... Read More

March 25, 2024
by Dan McCue
CPAC Releases Ranking of Most Conservative Members of Congress

WASHINGTON — The Conservative Political Action Conference, also known as CPAC, on Monday released its annual ranking of members of... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Conservative Political Action Conference, also known as CPAC, on Monday released its annual ranking of members of the House and Senate based on their conservative bona fides or lack thereof. To produce this year’s scorecard, the CPAC foundation’s Center for Legislative Accountability analyzed... Read More

March 22, 2024
by Dan McCue
After a Decade on Capitol Hill, Brad Howard Steps Out on His Own

WASHINGTON — After a decade on Capitol Hill, most recently as chief of staff for former Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla.,... Read More

WASHINGTON — After a decade on Capitol Hill, most recently as chief of staff for former Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., and communications director of the Blue Dog Coalition, Brad Howard knew it was time for change. “It was time to move into the private sector,” he... Read More

March 22, 2024
by Dan McCue
Greene Files Motion to Vacate Speaker’s Chair

WASHINGTON — For the second time in five months, a member of the Republican Conference in the House has filed... Read More

WASHINGTON — For the second time in five months, a member of the Republican Conference in the House has filed a motion to vacate the chair of the party’s speaker. But this time, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., says the motion is intended merely as a... Read More

March 22, 2024
by Dan McCue
Gallagher to Leave Congress April 19

WASHINGTON — Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who already announced he would not seek reelection, surprised many on Capitol Hill on... Read More

WASHINGTON — Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who already announced he would not seek reelection, surprised many on Capitol Hill on Friday by announcing he plans to leave April 19, several months before his current term is up. Gallagher’s impending departure will further shrink the razor-thin Republican... Read More

News From The Well
scroll top