Trump floats military budget to fund wall

US President Donald Trump has floated the idea of using the military's budget to pay for his long-promised border wall with Mexico.

President Donald Trump talks with reporters as he reviews border wall prototypes.

President Donald Trump talks with reporters as he reviews border wall prototypes. Source: AAP

Still angry about the budget deal he signed last week, US President Donald Trump has floated the idea of using the military's budget to pay for his long-promised border wall with Mexico, despite the fact that such spending would likely require approval from Congress.

Trump raised the funding plan with House Speaker Paul Ryan at a meeting at the White House last Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the discussion who spoke on condition of anonymity.

And he is publicly tweeted that building "a great Border Wall" is "all about National Defence," and called to "Build WALL through M!", meaning the military.

Departments, however, have limited authority to reprogram funds without congressional approval.

Pentagon spokesman Chris Sherwood referred all questions on the wall to the White House, where spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders deflected them, saying she was "not going to get into the specifics of that."

Some people close to the president have also suggested creating a GoFundMe campaign that Trump could use to raise money from the public to fund construction.

The White House did not immediately respond to questions about the idea, and it was unclear whether it had gained any serious traction.


Share
2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world