The political costs of standing with President Trump and against the Constitution and American voters on Trump’s border wall are mounting. The federal government is advancing towards the Texas land seizures necessary for construction and the impact on military projects to divert funds to the wall are coming into sharper focus.
In a story titled, “Rio Grande Valley Landowners Plan To Fight Border Wall Expansion,” NPR reports that Texas private landowners have started to receive “right-of-entry” letters from the federal government seeking to survey their land for possible border wall construction – the latest in a growing string of reminders about the consequences of Republican acquiescence to Trump’s fake emergency declaration. As the NPR piece reports:
More than 570 landowners in two counties, Hidalgo and Starr, have received right-of-entry letters from the government asking to survey their land for possible border wall construction.
…Ninety-year-old Elvira Canales lives in Salineño, a 15-minute drive west of Roma. She said she recently talked to the Army Corps of Engineers about an upcoming road construction project near her property by the Rio Grande. Canales said she’ll take legal action if the government tries to take her land for the road, or for the proposed wall.
“I won’t sell it, or I won’t give it permission because it’s my property for generations and generations,” Canales said.
Mario Carrillo, Director of America’s Voice Texas said: “We look forward to Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz explaining to this 90-year old border landowner and others how this represents constituent service at its finest. The land grab pushed by Republicans seems strikingly at odds with the GOP’s self-image as the party of small government and property rights, but Cornyn and Cruz’s acquiescence to Trump is on brand for our state’s senators.”
Meanwhile, there continues to be a range of state and local attention and criticism to the list of potential military construction projects that could be raided in order to build the stupid wall, as we noted yesterday. For example:
In Arizona, KVOA reports, “National emergency declaration could divert $148M from AZ military projects” noting:
this could divert up to $148 million from military bases in the Grand Canyon State, including Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, Luke Air Force Base in Maricopa County and Camp Navajo near Flagstaff.
In New Hampshire, WMUR reports “Portsmouth Shipyard projects could be cut to pay for border wall, Pentagon says” noting:
The largest project that could be cut is a $110 million upgrade for a dry dock. Also on the list is $62 million for a paint, blast and rubber facility, $40 million for a crane rail, and $12 million for a warehouse.
In Texas, the Texas Tribune reports in a story titled “Trump’s emergency declaration could mean Texas’ military installations lose millions for future projects:”
In all, about $265 million for construction and other projects on military bases in Texas could be diverted to build walls on the southern border, according to a list of potential projects the Department of Defense released to lawmakers Monday.
In Wisconsin, the Wisconsin State Journal reports “National emergency declaration could divert funds from Truax Field,” noting that an $8 million project could be at stake, quoting Senator Tammy Baldwin saying:
This is clear misuse of funding appropriated by Congress, and the president should not be diverting investments in military readiness because it will make us less safe.
