Esper Taps Funds From Counter-Russia Programs for Border Wall
- Portion of $545 million would be directed away from Europe
- Lawmakers have criticized similar Pentagon efforts in past
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U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper is directing Pentagon budget planners to defer $545 million worth of construction projects -- many in Europe meant to counter Russian aggression -- to pay for President Donald Trump’s border wall with Mexico.
In a memo sent Monday to the Pentagon’s comptroller and other officials, Esper lists several projects in Norway, Germany, Spain and elsewhere totaling more than $200 million from which he says funds can be redirected.