New York Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney is warning that if President Trump declares a national emergency to build a border wall, funding for projects at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point could be in jeopardy. There is talk of such a declaration coming during Tuesday night’s state of the union address.
The 18th District Democrat says the president has the authority to draw so-called “unobligated” funds in the military construction budget to pay for a border wall.
“And, in fact, there’s $250 million that has been appropriated and not contracted for all of the new construction at West Point,” Maloney says. “Those are the very funds that the president will be robbing to pay for whatever fantasy project he’s talking about at the border, not to mention his efforts to reprogram disaster relief funds that are supposed to be going to California wildfire victims or to Puerto Rico. This is a bad idea.”
Maloney says West Point projects that could see their funding reallocated include the engineering center, a wastewater treatment plant and expansion of the West Point cemetery.
