--- title: Pentagon Authorizes $1 Billion for Mexico Border Wall description: The Department of Defense told Congress the funding would be released to begin construction on 57 miles of fencing canonical: https://time.com/5558726/pentagon-authorizes-border-wall-funding/ author: Ciara Nugent article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-03-26T12:33:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T23:08:31.840Z article:section: Politics og:title: Pentagon Authorizes $1 Billion Transfer for Border Wall og:description: Democrats "strongly object" to the move og:url: https://time.com/5558726/pentagon-authorizes-border-wall-funding/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbe811716614c658b/6989474f4ee262d0273143ad/gettyimages-907164044.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: mexico-border-wall-juarez og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Pentagon Authorizes $1 Billion Transfer for Border Wall twitter:description: Democrats "strongly object" to the move twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbe811716614c658b/6989474f4ee262d0273143ad/gettyimages-907164044.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Pentagon Authorizes $1 Billion Transfer for Mexico Border Wall  by [Ciara Nugent](https://time.com/author/ciara-nugent/)  ## Ciara Nugent Mar 26, 2019 12:33 PM UTC  A view of the border wall between Mexico and the United States, in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico on Jan. 19, 2018. A view of the border wall between Mexico and the United States, in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico on Jan. 19, 2018.Herika Martinez -AFP/Getty Images  by [Ciara Nugent](https://time.com/author/ciara-nugent/)  ## Ciara Nugent Mar 26, 2019 12:33 PM UTC The Department of Defense has approved the transfer of up to $1 billion in military funds to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, the Pentagon told Congress Monday night. The money will go to the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection “to support the DHS’s request to build 57 miles of 18-foot-high pedestrian fencing,” and to improve roads and lighting along the Yuma and El Paso sections of the border, the [DOD said in a statement](https://dod.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/1795239/dod-authorizes-support-to-counter-drug-border-security/). Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan is due to appear before lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Tuesday morning to field questions on the Pentagon’s plans, which could divert funding from as many as 150 projects within the U.S. and abroad, [the AP reports](https://www.apnews.com/a25e1aa8e1a94979ad7706b1a0e94d61). Democratic senators condemned the decision to authorize the transfer without congressional approval. “We strongly object to both the substance of the funding transfer, and to the department implementing the transfer without seeking the approval of the congressional defence committees and in violation of provisions in the defence appropriation itself,” they wrote in a letter to Shanahan, [according to CNN](https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/25/politics/pentagon-congress-new-wall-money/index.html). On March 14 [the Senate](http://time.com/5551935/senate-vote-end-national-emergency-border/) joined [the House](http://time.com/5539557/house-block-trump-wall-emergency/) in voting to block President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency in order to secure funding for the wall. The following day [Trump issued the first veto of his term](http://time.com/5552686/trump-vetoes-congress-border-bill/) to overrule Congress’ decision. 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