Veto Means “I Forbid”

Recently President Trump decided the crisis on the southern border must be addressed. For decades it has been a political football for presidential campaigns and border state elections. Congress as a whole disagreed, by voting on a bill to block funding.

This vote prompted the president to exercise his constitutional authority to veto said bill. Appropriately, from Latin, veto means, “I forbid”. The president’s veto is in support of the U.S. Constitution and does “provide for the common defense” of America.

What is the Cost?

A Washington Examiner article on March 19, 2019, claims “The Defense Department has identified $12.8 billion in possible funding that it could use to fulfill President Trump’s call for a border wall. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., released the 20-page spreadsheet on Twitter Monday night.”

However, it is March. Where could the Department of Defense (DOD) get funding on that level? Take a look at the September Shuffle of the Budget USE OR LOSE funds, explained in an NRN Editorial: Ending Lobster Meal Budgets.

Where Could the Money Come From?

It appears there are funded Defense Department projects that have not spent their “budgeted” dollars. Projects are not just in five states, this also includes overseas projects. This is where Senator Reed projects the $12.8 Billion could be found in the DOD budget.

The DOD has identified $12.8 billion in possible funding.

For example, trim a Little Off the Budget, Perhaps? On the Clearance Jobs website, Tom McCuin stated:

“When the president declared his national emergency and said he intended to use military construction funds to complete the border wall, the biggest question was which projects would lose their funding—known in budget-speak as being a “bill payer”—and which would survive.”

It All Takes Planning

Further, this is all the information President Trump knew. He understood and planned before making his decision on the strategic importance of securing our southern border. In addition, he was aware that Military Construction (MILCON) funding was a lengthy process.

Meanwhile, inside the DOD, congressional votes do not drive National Security decisions. DOD Construction projects, commonly referred to as MILCON, are part of a planning process. This process is “toward determining and expressing the defense strategy of the United States and establishing a defense program for the next 20 years” according to the Quadrennial Defense Review.

In addition, those budgeted dollars are hard fought and designated for projects on a 20-year program. Therefore, that particular money probably is not going to the border. So, where is the money coming from? Moreover, how is the promise made to build the border wall moving along as quickly as it is proceeding?

We the People’s President

In short, President Donald J. Trump is building a wall/barrier/obstruction to prevent the illegal crossing of migrating caravans. It may be funded as a senator claims or as a media source points to $8.075 billion. Does it matter which is correct?

As long as funding is found for the structure to be built, the answer is no. The structure is to “secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity”. Most importantly, this is in accordance to the wisdom of 1776 which is enshrined in the Constitution of the United States.