Shanahan says he hasn’t determined amount needed for border wall

WASHINGTON — The acting secretary of defense said Saturday he has not yet determined how much money he will redirect to President Donald Trump’s border wall project.

Pat Shanahan, who has been leading the Pentagon since Jim Mattis stepped down Dec. 31, made the comment in an interview with reporters flying with him from Germany to Washington.

Shanahan said he has a great deal of discretion in deciding how to use the authorities granted to him by Trump’s declaration Friday of a national emergency.

The former Boeing executive said he would be working out details starting Sunday, emphasizing that his mission is to support the border security needs of the Department of Homeland Security.

The White House said before Trump’s announcement that the border project, which is opposed by Democrats, would receive $3.6 billion that Congress originally provided for military construction projects and $2.5 billion from the Pentagon’s 2019 drug interdiction program.

Shanahan, however, indicated that he has the discretion to provide less, although he said the $3.6 billion figure is likely to prove correct. He stressed that he has not yet made any decisions.

“You can trust the numbers,” he said, referring to the $3.6 billion and $2.5 billion, “in terms of the potential.” Ultimately, the amounts will be determined by linking the available funds to specific border security projects, he said, adding that those connections are not yet complete.