U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has authorized the diverting of US$3.6 billion in military construction funds for 11 wall projects on the southern border with Mexico, according to defense officials and a letter from Esper to the Senate Armed Services Committee.

In his letter, Esper told Congress he has “determined that 11 military construction projects along the international border with Mexico, with an estimated total cost of US$3.6 billion, are necessary to support the use of the armed forces in connection with the national emergency.”

The announcement fulfills a promise made by President Donald Trump in February to tap military construction funds to build his border wall. The move was slammed by Congress when it was first announced and only recently completed a Pentagon legal review.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the decision “a slap in the face” to service members.

“This decision will harm already planned, important projects intended to support our service members at military installations in New York, across the United States, and around the world,” Schumer wrote in a statement. “It is a slap in the face to the members of the Armed Forces who serve our country that President Trump is willing to cannibalize already allocated military funding to boost his own ego and for a wall he promised Mexico would pay to build.”

Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, also condemned the move. “President Trump’s immigration efforts have failed since day one. Today, he made it clear he is willing to take funds from our troops and disaster victims and divert them to try to protect his political right flank. And ultimately, that could put Americans at risk,” he said.

“This isn’t just an attempt to shift funding, it’s a bid to shift power away from Congress to the president. Clearly, this administration is trying to circumvent Congressional authority and this ill-advised attempt should be legally challenged and struck down by the courts,” Reed added.

Defense Department officials say 127 military construction projects are being put on hold in order to use the US$3.6 billion to fund building 280 kilometers of southern border wall.

Construction is expected to begin in about 135 days, according to Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Comptroller Elaine McCusker.

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said half the money is coming from deferred projects overseas, and the other half was planned for projects in the U.S. (SD-Agencies)