The Trump administration, searching for money to build the president’s planned multibillion-dollar border wall and crack down on illegal immigration, is weighing significant cuts to the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration and other agencies focused on national security threats, according to a draft plan. The plan puts the administration in the unusual position of trading spending on security programs for other security priorities at the southern border, raising questions among Republican lawmakers and homeland-security experts. “The Budget prioritizes DHS law enforcement operations, proposes critical investments in front line border security and funds continued development of robust cybersecurity defenses,” the draft said. That’s a Coast Guard mission and capability.”At the TSA, the proposed budget cuts, first detailed by Politico, would eliminate four programs that cost the agency $187 million. He said pouring the money saved from FEMA into border security would be “catastrophic.”“Defense and security at the border are important,” he said.

Source: Washington Post March 07, 2017 23:25 UTC