Did Trump Just Hint at Building the Border Wall Using the Military?

The Epoch Times ^ | 03/24/2018 | Ivan Pentchoukov

[zencycler]

President Donald Trump briefly threatened to veto a giant spending bill on Friday and then reluctantly signed it to keep the military funded.

The lack of funding for a border wall with Mexico is likely one of the president’s biggest frustrations. Trump mentioned the wall when he threatened to veto the bill. The $1.3 trillion budget includes just $1.6 billion for wall construction along the southern border, far short of the $25 billion needed to accomplish Trump’s signature campaign promise.

To make matters worse, the spending bill specifically prohibits Trump from building the kind of wall he wants. The president nevertheless celebrated the progress and pointed out that construction can begin immediately.

But Trump also dropped an eyebrow-raising hint that he could take an unprecedented option and build the wall using the enormous military budget.

“I want to address the situation on border security, which I call national defense,” Trump said. “I call it stopping drugs from pouring across our border. And I call it illegal immigration. It’s all of those things. But national defense is a very important two words. Because by having a strong border system, including a wall, we are in a position, militarily, that is very advantageous.”

For the first time, Trump underlined the significance of the barrier as a military structure and a matter of national defense. Up to now, the president promoted the wall as a way to curtail illegal immigration and stop the deadly flood of illicit drugs. The introduction of the wall’s military function is significant, especially in terms of funding it.

Roughly half of the spending bill is dedicated to the military for a total of over $654 billion allotted to the Pentagon’s base budget and overseas counterinsurgency operations. That’s enough to build the wall 26 times.

[hoosiermama]

Excellent post IMO you are right on target.
Monday morning building begins.

When wall was first mentioned discovered the Roosevelt Resevoir (1917) which give government easement along the southern border

Reading about the river led to other sites that discussed the flooding and erosion that even Mexico saw a need to address. A dam or two has been built. The USACOE would need to address levees, damns and other needed improvements. No doubt they have looked into these issues for decades. Levees could easily become barriers to crossing.

[hoosiermama]

It addresses the river. All of Texas border is river

[Repeal The 17th]

Thanks!

[hoosiermama]

WelQum

[hoosiermama]

That BOOM BOOM BOOM Q keeps posting are those brass ones clanging together.

[Reno89519]

Point is there is a certain percentage here on FR that ruin discussion by everyone because that are unable to allow dissent, disagreement, and discussion.

[stockpirate]

It’s an Omnibus Spending bill, not a budget. Which means Trump can spend it anyway he wants.

An Omnibus bill is a bill of suggestions on how to spend the money....

Trump rolled them. Enjoy the show

[dynoman]

Do you seriously think the ones wearing Che Guevara T-shirts will pass the 12 year vetting process?? Are the ones you met even registered with DACA??? Are they the ones Trumps is talking about?? Of course not. Be reasonable about it. We can take this issue away from the democrats and make it hurt them.

BTW Aviation Week and Space Technology is the premier aviation/aerospace magazine in the world. It’s real life. The DACA people they profiled don’t wear Che Guevara T-shirts.

[tomkat]

That’s true, but I’m guessing that as long as we’re human, some of that is unavoidable.

Back in the day I was known to have a pretty quick trigger finger in here, but time and endlessly pointless typing has cured me of most of that tendency.

I say ‘most’, but not all apparently.
Just figgered the knives would be out tonight after yesterday’s events.

Cheers.

[Shortstop7]

I read somewhere that he got the military portion up to 700 billion from the original 640 billion. Could it be he did that to have funds for the wall? If so, he truly did snooker them. Will be fun to watch the snowflakes melt yet again.

[Shortstop7]

You win post of the day!! :) :) :)

[BeauBo]

The segments that have recently been contracted (2.25 miles in Calexico, and 20 miles just West of El Paso), they waived a bunch of environmental reviews, it took about 5-6 months to get the contracts completed, and in both cases, they expect to be complete after about about a year of construction.

In both cases, the old barrier was being frequently climbed and breached, and they are replacing the old stuff with thirty foot tall bollards, and paved patrol roads. They may also have additional lights, cameras or alarms, but I don't know. That seems to be the new Trump standard, and that is what I expect we will see more of. It is taller than a lot of trees - like a three storey building. Very intimidating to try to climb - most people who fall from thirty feet will die from the fall.

The COE should be sitting on new requests ready to release, already written and reviewed, just waiting on funding. Then bids come back in a few weeks, get evaluated and awarded. That is what I would expect to start on Monday, with construction starting in the Fall. In the Rio Grande Valley, they will probably have some concrete levee walls, likely with bollards on top.

The new bollards going in at Calexico:

Solid stuff - super hard to go over or through, illegals will almost all have to go around where this stuff is:

[musicman]

“It’s not my preferred outcome, but the auguries, from AL and PA-18, are grim.”

Please watch the following video.

Fraction Magic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fob-AGgZn44

Soros owned voting machines have been in use since 2003.

About 80% are controlled by companies owned by Soros.

This is to be exposed very soon under the election investigations being conducted as I type this.

The findings will show that Trump won the popular vote.

The AL & PA elections are also being investigated for this.

[Chauncey Gardiner]

As much as I’d like to see him pull it off, a department cannot divert appropriated funds without re-authorization from Congress.

[tomkat]

Ok, thanks.
The number of white flags being waved in here since yesterday rivals anything I recall from years past.
Paine could've been writing at some of these guys too  :-\

[hoosiermama]

Thanks for the on site report.

[chris37]

I hope you’re right.

I’ve chosen to set my anger aside, because my anger is never useful. It’s possible that I am unable to see the bigger picture.

So, I’m going to watch and wait, and I’m not going to throw stones while I do so.

[Tennessean4Bush]

ROTFLMAO! The art of the deal! Trump got his border wall after all. Perfect.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Trump got more done in his first year than Reagan, and Reagan didn’t have the entire Uniparty/Fakestream media trying to kneecap him a dozen times a day.

[bitt]

p