WASHINGTON, DC – Tonight, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement after Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan informed him that he would not keep his pledge to identify — “by the end of today” — which legally authorized military construction projects are subject to being cancelled, reduced, or raided in order to reallocate $3.6 billion to pay for President Trump’s border wall:

"Tonight, the Acting Secretary of Defense informed me he is unable to keep his commitment to share the list of what will be cut to pay for the vanity wall.  This unacceptable series of evasions should trouble members of Congress, regardless of political party.

“Diverting funds from our troops and military construction in order to pay for President Trump’s ineffective vanity wall is wrong.  It doesn’t make America safer.  It hurts our troops, it hurts our military readiness, and it hurts taxpayers.

“I will continue working to make this list public because the American people deserve to know the facts.”