Schumer Statement On President Trump Raiding $771 Million From Program To Counter Russian Aggression To Pay For Unnecessary Wall He Said Mexico Would Pay For

Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) issued the following statement after President Trump’s Department of Defense outlined the programs and projects it plans to defund in order to pay for President Trump’s unnecessary wall, defying Congress’s power of the purse. In addition to the funds stolen from state and local economies around the country, President Trump is taking $771 million from the European Defense Initiative, which is a program requested by our military commanders and designed to respond to Russian aggression in Europe. This action, in addition to the president’s slow-walking security aid to support the Ukrainian military against Russian aggression, is the second in two weeks from President Trump where he has directly aided President Putin’s malign campaign to undermine NATO and transatlantic relations.

“President Trump is, yet again, putting Vladimir Putin before the security of the American people and our allies. Cutting the funding used to reinforce our trusted European allies against Russian aggression in order to advance the president’s politically-motivated vanity project—that he promised Mexico would pay for—is outrageous, wrong, and weakens our national security. Congress will not stand for the president usurping our exclusive power of the purse. It is galling and appalling that in just two weeks, this president has secured two wins for American foe, Vladimir Putin, who is presently engaged with further attempts to undermine our own electoral system.”

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