President Donald J. Trump stands before a plaque Tuesday, June 23, 2020, commemorating the 200th mile of new border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border near Yuma, Ariz. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden’s Department of Defense is redirecting $2.2 billion of Trump’s border barrier construction projects paid for with funds originally intended for other military missions and projects, the Pentagon said Friday. In April, Biden’s DOD canceled all border barrier construction projects for Trump’s border wall. With the cancellation, unobligated military construction funds that had been diverted from military construction projects under President Trump will be used for previously deferred military construction projects, allowing some of these critical efforts to move forward as soon as possible, according to the Pentagon.
“We announced … on April 30, the cancellation of all border barrier construction projects paid for with funds that were originally designed and meant for other missions and functions. The decision to restore this funding was based on operational and component priorities.”
-Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby
(Photo credit: Gary Raynaldo ©Diplomatic Times) Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby briefs reporters at the Pentagon in Washington DC.
President Trump declared a national emergency in 2019 in an effort to redirect funding to build a wall along the US southern border.
President Joe Biden issued a proclamation on January 20, his first day in office, ordering a freeze on border wall projects and directing a review of the legality of its funding and contracting methods.
Pentagon Announces $150 Million in New Funding for Ukraine Military
The Department of Defense Friday announced a new $150 million package for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) that includes training, equipment, and advisory efforts to help Ukraine’s forces preserve the country’s territorial integrity, secure its borders, and improve interoperability with NATO. The $150 million package represents the remaining funds appropriated by Congress for USAI in Fiscal Year 2021 and is made possible by the Defense Department, in coordination with the Department of State, certifying that Ukraine has made sufficient progress on defense reforms this year, as required by the National Defense Authorization Act. The United States has committed more than $2.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since 2014.
“The department continues to encourage Ukraine to enact reforms that are in line with NATO principles and standards to advance its Euro-Atlantic aspirations,” Pentagon Press Secretary Kirby said.
