National security begins at the border.

Bases are important. But when the border is open and huge numbers of foreigners can freely invade the country, then no amount of bases amount to anything. We don't maintain bases because they look pretty or because they make good pork for politicians.

Military bases are there to defend our country. A wall is the first line of defense.

GOP lawmakers are grumbling over President Trump’s redirection of funds from military construction projects in their states and districts to his promised wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

This wouldn't have happened if they had used their majority to actually fund a wall.

Pork was, as always, the first priority. And their failure to stand up for real national security results in pork getting the axe.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), whose state is set to lose a combined $54 million for two military projects, said he was “disappointed” by the decision, while noting that “funding the border wall is an important priority.” “The Executive Branch should use the appropriate channels in Congress, rather than divert already appropriated funding away from military construction projects and therefore undermining military readiness," he said in a statement Wednesday.

The "appropriate channels" had decades of opportunities to do this.

Republicans had a majority and a White House that wanted a wall. And they still chose not do it. That left only one option. This one.

You can't complain that Trump is grabbing power and bypassing Congress after the latter have completely failed to do this basic thing.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) added to that sentiment by saying, "Congress has been ceding far too much powers to the executive branch for decades and it is far past time for Congress to restore the proper balance of power between the three branches."

Awesome.

Restore the balance by doing useful things.

Trump won the GOP primaries because conservative voters had little faith that the same old politicians would actually take the illegal migration crisis seriously.

Americans reward the branches that do things over those that do nothing.