The Pentagon will deploy 1,000 more troops to the southern border next week, a senior U.S. defense official said Friday afternoon.
The additional forces will bring the total to nearly 6,000 active-duty and National Guard personnel deployed in support of the Department of Homeland Security at the border with Mexico, one week after President Trump declared a state of emergency to free up funding for a promised border wall.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday the House will vote Tuesday to reject Trump’s national emergency when Congress returns next week. The president has promised to veto any such effort to undo his emergency declaration, which is also being challenged in the courts.
Trump wants to spend roughly $6 billion from the Pentagon budget, $2.5 billion from its drug interdiction program and $3.5 billion from the military construction bill, to pay for the wall. – READ MORE