Filemon Vela

U.S. Representative, Texas District 34

President Trump’s latest call to siphon $7.2 billion from our Defense Department’s military construction and counter-drug budgets to fund his border wall is yet another attempt by this administration to harm our military to pay for its political agenda. The Department of Defense’s approval of this massive transfer would have a direct and negative impact on our defense installations and readiness nationwide.

I have seen firsthand how this diversion of critical funds would negatively impact urgent infrastructure projects at our military installations. On a recent visit to Naval Air Stations Kingsville and Corpus Christi, two bases critical in training our Navy and Marine Corps aviators of the future, the facilities were not only crumbling around our aircraft, but also — and most importantly — around our military personnel.

Year after year, the Department of Defense testifies before Congress on the ever-growing maintenance backlog for its facilities. In 2018, the number of structures in poor or failing condition stood at 32 percent across the services with an estimated $116 billion in unfunded maintenance requirements. Congress, in response, has done its part by funding the vast majority of the department’s request for military construction dollars and providing additional flexibilities for spending those funds to improve base infrastructure. Yet, last year alone, President Trump diverted $6.1 billion from the Defense Department’s budget that was designated to address these and other readiness concerns.

At NAS Kingsville, military construction dollars are required to meet updated access and security requirements, now shown to be especially necessary in the wake of the NAS Pensacola tragedy. NAS Kingsville has also long awaited a fire station that can house a modern fleet of fire and emergency rescue vehicles on site to keep our Navy and Marine Corps aviators safe during training.

At NAS Corpus Christi, military construction dollars are desperately needed to improve the barracks for our unaccompanied sailors and marines, the hangars that house our T-44 training aircraft and the on-base daycare that care for our military children. I was horrified to see the mold and smell the mildew that permeated the rooms of the barracks, many of which have been shuttered after being deemed unlivable. And like most other buildings on base, the daycare is several decades old and in dire need of modernization to accommodate the needs of the military families stationed at Corpus Christi.

When our young men and women sign up to serve this country, they should expect a standard of living that is commensurate with their sacrifice. When our servicemembers have families, they should expect the same or better care for their children than they would have as civilians. We must guarantee the safety and security of our installations, and more importantly, that of our servicemembers and their families. That means investing in the very infrastructure that supports our troops and our national security on a day-to-day basis, not robbing our military personnel and families to fund a political charade.

Let me be clear: The funds sought by the president would rob from the schools, daycares and housing units that our military families depend on; the hangars that protect our essential military aircraft and vehicles; the security mechanisms that keep our bases safe; and the infrastructure that allows us to be ready for the future fight. These military construction dollars have an immediate impact on the readiness, security, quality of life, and retention of our warfighters and on the future of our national security.

Diverting money from military accounts will not only have a negative impact on the quality of life for servicemembers at installations around the world, but will also take place at the direct expense of our military training and operations.

I urge Secretary Mark Esper and the Department of Defense to seriously consider the negative implications of approving such an enormous transfer of congressionally authorized funds away from the fundamental missions of the Department of Defense and our warfighters

U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. He submitted this article, unsolicited.