Pentagon will not furlough military troops at US-Mexico border
The article reports that the Pentagon has confirmed military personnel deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border under the Trump governance will not be furloughed or sent home if a government shutdown occurs. A Pentagon document lists the southern border,Middle East operations,missile defense programs,ship and depot maintenance,and critical munitions as top priorities,with personnel continuing to work despite a lapse in government funding.
Active-duty troops and reservists will work without pay if no funding agreement is reached by the deadline,with pay continuing only through the frist two weeks after a shutdown. about 406,000 of 741,000 Pentagon civilian employees will remain working during the funding gap.
The article also notes recent military annexations of land along the southern border, granting troops limited authority to detain and arrest illegal immigrants for trespassing on military property-an unusual law enforcement role usually reserved for the U.S. Border Patrol.
Currently, approximately 8,500 military personnel are assigned to the Joint Task Force Southern Border. Simultaneously occurring, Democrats in Congress seek to include provisions on healthcare funding in any short-term spending bill, requiring bipartisan support to pass.
Pentagon will not furlough military troops stationed at US-Mexico border
Military personnel deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border by the Trump administration will not be furloughed or sent home if the government shuts down Tuesday evening, according to the Department of War.
A Pentagon planning document released early this week lists the southern border, Middle East operations, Golden Dome missile defense programs, ship maintenance, depot maintenance, and critical munitions as priorities where employees will continue to work if Congress does not pass a short-term spending measure.
The document states that efforts to support the U.S. southern border and operations in the Middle East are among its “highest priorities.”
Active-duty troops and reservists on active service will continue working without pay if a deal cannot be made by midnight. At the Pentagon itself, roughly 406,000 of 741,000 civilian employees will remain on the job, while the remainder are expected to face furloughs.
Military personnel who continue to work will be paid for the first two weeks of a government shutdown, but pay will be halted after Oct. 15.
Historically, presidential administrations have sent troops to the border to assist the U.S. Border Patrol, the federal law enforcement agency that works between the ports of entry.
This past spring, the War Department announced that it was annexing parts of land directly on the southern border as part of nearby military bases. Doing so gave the military the legal authority to detain and arrest illegal immigrants who trespass on the land.
Normally, the military cannot arrest illegal immigrants because only the Border Patrol has the authority to make an arrest for a federal offense. The annexations were a roundabout way for the military to conduct law enforcement by arresting people for trespassing on a military base.
The first two annexations occurred in April along 230 miles of the border from Fort Hancock, Texas, through El Paso, Texas. An additional 250-mile section was added in June to include the southern tip of Texas, known as the Rio Grande Valley.
More than 30 miles were added to the annexation in southwestern Arizona in July.
BORDER PATROL TO REMAIN IN CHICAGO AND PORTLAND TO SUPPORT ICE EVEN IF GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN
A total of 8,500 military personnel assigned to the Joint Task Force Southern Border remain on duty, according to the Department of War.
Democrats in Congress have requested that any short-term funding bill include an extension of the Affordable Care Act subsidies and reinstate funding to health programs. The Senate needs 60 votes to pass the bill, which requires Republicans to get seven Democrats on board.
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