Carolyn Kaster/AP
- President Donald Trump instructed the White House budget office to look into using the Department of Defense's budget to build his desired border wall, Axios reported.
- Specifically, the office is said to be looking into using Pentagon funds without going through Congress.
- The news comes 19 days into a partial government shutdown as a result of a disagreement between Trump and Congressional Democrats on funding the $5 billion wall.
The White House is considering using the Pentagon budget to fund President Donald Trump's proposed $5 billion border wall between US and Mexico, $4.
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been looking into ways to secure funding for the wall without going through Congress, the news site reported, citing a source close to OMB Deputy Director Russ Vought.
Specifically, the OMB - under Trump's command - is looking into whether he can use Department of Defense money to fund the wall without requiring Congress' permission, Axios said.
It is "one of a couple of possibilities being seriously contemplated," the news site added.
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The the news comes 19 days into a partial federal government shutdown, which began on December 22 when Trump reached a stalemate with Congressional Democrats while trying to secure $5 billion of funding for his proposed wall along the US-Mexico border.
Trump $4 Tuesday night, characterizing the state of the US-Mexico border as a "crisis" that only Congress can solve by building a physical wall.
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The president has routinely blamed Congressional Democrats for refusing to fund the wall, which was the central pledge of his 2016 presidential campaign.