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Defense Dept Steals Funds Budgeted To Counter Russia For Stupid Wall
Last week, I started to read a tweet that said Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, a former defense contractor lobbyist with no qualifications to lead the strongest military in history, was reallocating defense funds. I immediately thought it would have something to do with mitigating the impact of COVID-19. Silly me.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper is directing Pentagon budget planners to defer $545 million worth of construction projects... in Europe meant to counter Russian aggression - to pay for Trump’s border wall with Mexico.
Esper lists several projects in Norway, Germany, Spain and elsewhere totaling more than $200 million from which he says funds can be redirected. Those projects are all part of the European Deterrence Initiative designed to bolster allies and undermine Russia’s growing influence on the continent. The projects include infrastructure for military aircraft, fuel, munitions and cargo.
How is this possible? Oh yeah, Esper has special powers from Sithe Lord Trump because apparently, you may have forgotten, we're in a National Emergency related to immigration from the Mexican border. Remember that? Republican big government doing whatever they want because they feel like it.
Esper has the authority to redirect funds from both domestic and foreign construction programs because Trump has declared a national emergency in order to spur funding for one of his top campaign priorities -- the southwestern border wall.
Esper’s initiative would appear to conflict with the National Defense Strategy, which prioritizes “great power competition” with Russia and China.
Similar moves by Esper and his predecessors in the Trump administration have enraged members of Congress from both parties, who are particularly wary of seeing funding cut for construction projects in their districts or states.
No idea how our government apparatus can allow horseshit like this. Someone do something.