WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense; Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee; and Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs today released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Defense sent Congress a list of military construction projects that could be delayed in order to pay for President Donald Trump’s southwest border wall:

“Earlier today, the Department of Defense provided Congress with a list of projects which may be impacted by the President’s desire to divert military funding to pay for his border wall. The Department claims that it will exempt housing, barracks, and dormitories – and in the process quietly acknowledges that more than $10 billion of other top priorities that the military and their families have requested over the last several years is on the chopping block in order to placate the President. This madness will not stop until more of our Republican colleagues are willing to put the military ahead of party politics.”

Article continues after sponsor message

Get The Latest News!

Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.

Earlier this month, Durbin, Leahy, and Schatz led a letter to acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan where they called on the Defense Department to provide Congress with a list of military projects it intends to defund to pay for President Trump’s border wall.

 

More like this:

Duckworth, Durbin, Senate Democrats Call On Hegseth To Report Total Costs Of Iran War
Sep 18, 2026
Duckworth, Durbin Issued Statement Alongside Their Colleagues On President Trump And President Xi’s Summit In Washington
Sep 28, 2026
Duckworth, Durbin Demand FAA Pay Air Traffic Controllers Congressionally-Approved Raise
Sep 8, 2026
Duckworth Urges FAA, Pentagon To Reject Trump’s Plan For Military Complex At Triumphal Arch
Sep 28, 2026
Duckworth Pushes For Clarity And Due Process For Exemplary Military Officers Whose Promotions Are Blocked By Pete Hegseth
Sep 10, 2026