Trump to tap $8 billion for wall

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump will use a national emergency and other measures to tap $8 billion from the budget for his controversial border wall, far more than the $5.7 billion he initially demanded, White House officials said Friday.

Trump on Friday took the unusual step of declaring a national emergency on the border to free up funding for 234 miles of bollard wall, a move that is almost guaranteed to draw the White House into a lengthy battle over whether the president can legally to use the tool for that purpose.

Here is a look at where the White House will find the money:

Military construction

Trump will attempt to access $3.6 billion in military construction money. Unlike other portions of the plan, the president must declare a national emergency to access this account, which has long been rumored to be under consideration. The money is used for military bases and other projects. President George W. Bush tapped into this same account after he declared a national emergency following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

White House officials said they did not yet know which military constructions might be canceled or delayed by the move.

Asset forfeiture

Trump will dip into about $600 million in asset forfeiture funds at the Treasury Department. This funding has been controversial on both sides of the aisle because it comes from government seizures of property.

Drug interdiction

Current law gives the president power to rely on the Department of Defense for drug interdiction in certain cases, even without a national emergency. The law says the Pentagon can assist in that effort through the building of fences and other measures. The White House believes it can draw about $2.5 billion through this provision.

White House officials did not say specifically where that money will come from.

Congressional funding

Part of Trump’s package includes the $1.375 billion that Congress approved on a bipartisan basis for border barriers late Thursday.

That measure, which will also avert another government shutdown, limits Trump to spending the money only on previously approved barrier designs, including the “bollard wall” design that was also used by the Obama administration.

John Fritze and David Jackson

MICHAEL REYNOLDS/EPA-EFE President Donald Trump acknowledged Friday that he “didn't need to” declare a national emergency, but he wanted to get a border wall built more quickly.