Last week, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency over the southern border, hoping to finally fund a wall that Congress has thus far denied. By doing so, Trump now has access to about $3.6 billion set aside for military projects.
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How many military construction projects will this affect? A lot.
Several states have made moves to protect their projects — or at least make the administration aware of the impact their decisions could have.
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Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) sent a letter to Trump in an effort to protect the funding allocated to improve the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and New Hampshire National Guard resources. To improve readiness, the Navy allocated $21 billion over the course of 20 years. That funding is now under Trump's control.
Construction at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany could also be delayed or canceled. That's the hospital where combat casualties are sent following severe injuries.
A long-awaited $409 million Corpus Christi Ship Channel project, as an Army Corps of Engineers project, also falls into the portion of the budget that the president now has access to. The channel is the "aorta of South Texas," according to a Caller Times article. The Port of Corpus Christi is the nation's fourth-largest by cargo tonnage — and it's been waiting for this expansion project for nearly 30 years.
A $670 million National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency facility in St. Louis, Mo. is also on the chopping block if Trump chooses to divert military construction funds to the border wall. The agency analyzes satellite and drone imagery — it played a major role in finding Osama Bin Laden.
And, after a year of severe weather wreaking havoc on multiple military installations, Trump can also divert funding from construction for climate adaptation — which would make sure the devastation on Tyndall Air Force Base, Camp Lejeune, and others does not happen again.
So far, sixteen states have filed lawsuits against the president's emergency declaration, alleging that it violates the constitution, but also arguing that diverting military funding will hurt economies, Americans, and military readiness.