Vets slam Trump's 'horrifying' plan to take funds from military kids

On Wednesday, reports indicate that more than $500 million meant for much-needed school construction are in jeopardy because it could be taken to build Trump’s racist border wall.

Military families in Kentucky were looking forward to turning former Fort Campbell High School into a new middle school. The $62 million project aimed to have the refurbished school ready in time for the 2020-2021 school year, while the children of military personnel currently sit crammed into an older school in need of repair.

But, according to an analysis from the House Appropriations Committee, Trump could put that money toward building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border as part of the $3.6 billion Trump said he would take from military construction for his wall construction.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) apparently has no problem depriving military kids of much-needed schools. “It would be better for middle school kids in Kentucky to have a secure border,” Graham said on ABC’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday.  Graham, whose home state of South Carolina is ranked 42 in the nation in education, added, “We’ll get them the school they need” without providing any evidence or details.

“Politicians’ statements that these military dependents will eventually get the new school they desperately need ring hollow,” Gary Hritz, spokesman for the Federal Education Association, told Ed Week. “These students and their families sacrifice enough. They should not be asked to sacrifice their learning environment any longer.”

And it is not just military families in the United States who could suffer. Ed Week reports that U.S. military bases in Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom could face cuts to their school construction budget so Trump can build a wall.

The idea does not sit well with veterans, either.

“The number of projects for military families that could potentially be cut is horrifying, but what’s even more horrifying is that this is clearly an unconstitutional power grab by Donald Trump,” Will Fischer, an Iraq War veteran and the director of government relations for VoteVets, told Shareblue Media.

“Maybe the president and his enablers figure that the fewer schools there are, the fewer kids will be able to learn that,” Fischer added.

Over the years, Trump seems to have no problem forcing members of the military to endure more sacrifices than necessary. In the run-up to the 2018 midterm election, Trump hyped a made-up crisis at the southern border and ordered thousands of troops there. Trump kept them there through the holidays, away from their families, even though there was so little to do that some were reduced to shoveling horse manure.

During the 2016 campaign, Trump repeatedly promised Mexico would pay for the border wall. Instead, Trump may end up forcing the children of those serving our country to pay the price.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.