HASC didn't approve proposed use of Pentagon funds for border wall - chairman

The U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee on Tuesday denied the Pentagon's plan to shift $1 billion to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico, intensifying the conflict over President Donald Trump's signature campaign pledge. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan announced on Monday that the Department of Defense had shifted $1 billion from other military construction projects in order to help pay for the barrier along the southern border.

Democratic Representative Adam Smith, the committee's chairman, said the committee did not approve the proposed use of Pentagon funds. "DoD is attempting to circumvent Congress and the American people's opposition to using taxpayer money for the construction of an unnecessary wall, and the military is paying the cost," Smith said in a statement.