Border Wall Funding Diversion Halts Two Indiana Projects

Two Indiana military construction projects are among those on hold because the Trump administration is diverting $3.6 billion in funding to help pay for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Pentagon released a list of the funding cuts Wednesday.

They include $16 million for construction of a railcar holding area at Crane Army Ammunition Plant, and building an $8 million small arms range at the Air National Guard’s Hulman Field in Terre Haute.

U.S. Senator Mike Braun (R-Indiana) says President Donald Trump made a difficult but necessary decision in diverting the funds.

"It's sad that we do have to divert funds from one area to the other for a need that has been out there for a long time, which is a border that has no order to it," Braun says.

Braun says the projects aren't off the table, they'll just be delayed.

Rep. Jim. Banks (R-Columbia City) says the projects are minor and can wait.

“The most urgent construction project for our national security is the border wall,” Banks said in a statement. “We need and have a right to know who is coming across our southern border.”

A letter Defense Secretary Mark Esper sent to the chair of the Armed Services Committee says the funding will pay for 11 projects along the border, including replacing and building fencing. The letter says the projects are necessary after President Trump declared a national emergency along the border earlier this year that requires the use of armed forces.