House Armed Services chairman denies $1 billion transfer for Trump wall

The U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee on Tuesday denied the Pentagon’s plan to shift $1 billion to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico, a move that while largely symbolic, highlights the concern lawmakers have about using the defense budget to pay for the wall. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan announced on Monday that the Department of Defense had shifted $1 billion from other military construction projects to build part of the barrier along the southern border. Democratic Representative Adam Smith, the committee’s chairman, said the panel did not approve the proposed use of Pentagon funds.