Govt weighs more wall funding

Plan sparks criticism from lawmakers

WASHINGTON, Jan 15, (AP): The Trump administration is weighing whether to shift billions more in military funding to build the border wall after already moving more than $6 billion, prompting a fresh round of criticism from lawmakers.

But senior administration officials cautioned that no final decisions have been made, and no official figures have been decided. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The border wall is one of Trump’s signature issues – he’s been talking about building a “big beautiful wall” between the US and Mexico since his early campaign days. Then, he was claiming he’d make Mexico pay for it. But American taxpayers are paying instead – and wall funding has been a major source of conflict between Democratic lawmakers and Trump as they negotiate agency funding bills each year. Last year Trump was forced to settle for just $1.4 billion in wall funding following the longest government shutdown in history.

Putin’s current term expires in 2024, and Russia’s political elites have been abuzz with speculation about his future plans. (AP)

But he issued a controversial declaration of a national emergency shortly afterward that allowed him to shift almost three times as much money from military construction accounts to wall building. The Supreme Court ruled this summer the funds could be used. In total, about $12 billion has been allocated for the wall. And billions more have been requested.

Homeland Security officials, who manage border security, referred questions on the funding to the White House, which did not comment.

Last week, officials touted the 100th mile (161st kilometer) of border wall to be built since Trump took office.

Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf disputed the critics who say the new construction is only replacing old fencing. The new, 30-foot (9-meter) walls do replace other barriers, but those were shorter and easier to cross. Wolf said he’s confident the administration will build or start to build 400 to 450 miles (644 to 724 km) by the end of the year.

Macron tries to calm tensions:

French President Emmanuel Macron tried to calm nationwide tensions and salvage support for his overhaul of the country’s retirement system, as France faced day 41 of crippling strikes.

Clutches of union activists gathered in Paris and other cities to demand that the government scrap the pension reform altogether. The plan’s toughest opponents were unmoved by the prime minister’s unexpected weekend decision to suspend a central measure: raising the full pension eligibility age from 62 to 64.

Struggling to save face and prevent new protest violence as his signature reform falters, Macron called for calm Tuesday and tried to show that he has heard protesters’ concerns. (AP)