Senate Democrats ask Shanahan about deployment of troops to border

Senate Democrats are asking Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan to clarify statements made by Department of Defense (DOD) officials about the deployment of military personnel to the southwest border.

In their letter to Shanahan, the senators are seeking assurances that this deployment would not negatively affect military readiness. The letter was signed by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) – all members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

President Donald Trump deployed active duty military personnel to the southwest border in October 2018 in response to what he called an “invasion” of several thousand Central American migrants. This deployment was extended by Shanahan in January 2019 for an additional nine months. It is estimated to cost about $500 million and involves the deployment of approximately 4,000 active-duty personnel and approximately 2,000 National Guardsmen to the southern border.

The senators cited a memo written last month by Marine Corps Commandant General Robert Neller in which he warned that “unplanned/unbudgeted Southwest Border Operations,” among other problems or directives are “imposing unacceptable risk to Marine Corps combat readiness and solvency.”

“We are extraordinarily distressed by the concerns raised by General Neller,” the senators wrote. “We are particularly concerned about the cost and impact of the Southwest Border Operations and the border security funding transfers, given that they have not been authorized by Congress and because of previous assurances we have received that these factors would not impact readiness.”

The senators requested that Shanahan provide a staff-level briefing on the matter within and provide a written explanation of how he will address the concerns raised by Gen. Neller by April 22.

“These discrepancies require an explanation, and to the extent the southern border deployment is causing readiness concerns, they must be addressed immediately,” the senators continued.