Army leaders defend parade and border spending as Congress presses for answers

WASHINGTON -- Army leaders connected Wednesday defended spending arsenic overmuch arsenic $45 cardinal to add a parade to the service's 250th day solemnisation connected June 14 successful Washington, saying it volition assistance boost recruitment, arsenic Congress members argued that the wealth could beryllium amended spent connected troops' barracks oregon different priorities.

Members of the House Armed Services Committee besides said they are acrophobic that the Defense Department is shifting astir $1 cardinal from a assortment of accounts — including basal lodging — to screen the costs of shoring up the defence of the confederate border.

Spending for the parade has go a flashpoint since it comes astatine a clip erstwhile the Trump medication is slashing backing for unit and programs crossed the national government, including the Defense Department.

While the Army has agelong planned for a festival connected the National Mall to observe its 250th birthday, the parade was conscionable precocious added. President Donald Trump has agelong wanted a subject parade successful the city, aft seeing an elaborate 1 successful France connected Bastille Day during his archetypal statesmanlike term, and June 14 is besides his birthday.

U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., questioned whether the further outgo of the parade was due since each the subject services are facing 8% fund cuts, and said possibly it could beryllium utilized to amended troops’ prime of beingness oregon warfighting capabilities. He prodded Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll connected what helium would prioritize if Congress wrote him a blank cheque for $45 million.

Driscoll replied that helium thinks the parade offers a accidental to archer the nationalist astir the Army. “I judge precise specifically that telling that communicative volition straight pb to a recruiting roar and volition capable up our pipeline for the coming years," helium said.

At the aforesaid time, helium and Gen. Randy George, main of unit of the Army, told lawmakers that the work has present met its recruiting extremity for the twelvemonth — with 61,000 recruits. Army officials person predicted for months that they would deed the people aboriginal aft making a bid of changes to recruiting programs, recruiters and policies implicit the past respective years.

That prompted Rep. Wesley Bell, D-Mo., to inquire wherefore the parade was needed for recruiting if it's already surging.

Driscoll said the Army believes the parade “will empower an full caller procreation of America’s younker to drawback the tone to service their nation.”

Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisc., defended the parade spending, saying “you cannot enactment a terms tag connected patriotism.”

House members connected some sides of the aisle pressed the Army astir a caller petition to displacement wealth from crossed the fund to enactment the confederate border. The biggest concern, they said, is that it takes wealth distant from basal housing, which has been plagued with persistent problems, including mold, rodents and earthy sewage successful barracks.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., agreed the federation needs a beardown border, but said lawmakers worked for the past twelvemonth connected a wide effort to code the lodging problems. “I consciousness similar a determination was made that undermined this full effort that we spent the past twelvemonth doing.," helium said.

Pressed connected the contented by Carbajal, George acknowledged that redirecting the wealth has an interaction connected the barracks.

“If we took $1 cardinal retired of barracks, we would beryllium capable to hole little barracks," helium agreed, but besides said, ”“You person to marque choices, congressman."