Sen. Kyrsten Sinema decries shifting Fort Huachuca funding to Trump's border wall

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema decried Thursday the shift of $3.6 billion in military construction funds to build President Donald Trump's border wall, adding her voice to the chorus of Democrats critical of the funding maneuver Trump and Republicans are using to fund the wall. 

Trump declared a national emergency along the southern border in February to access money to fund construction of his long-promised border wall. Republicans, including Sen. Martha McSally of Arizona, support the president's national emergency declaration. 

As a result, 127 military construction projects will be scratched, delayed, or otherwise affected, including one in Arizona.  

Democratic Sens. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Patty Murray of Washington, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, and others took the floor Thursday to denounce what they deemed executive overreach.  

Sinema, D-Ariz., did not speak on the floor but submitted written remarks for the record in which she opposed the impact on a $30 million equipment storage project slated for Arizona's Fort Huachuca.

Her office said Congress would have to appropriate the money again in order for that project to move forward. 

"The $30 million was set to fund construction of a long-needed, new facility to protect and maintain equipment used to replicate the communications networks and threat displays of our adversaries," Sinema said. "This investment is critical to ensuring our Army Intelligence professionals receive the training they need to keep our country safe. Backfilling these cuts will likely delay several other needed projects at Ft. Huachuca, and may lead to wasted taxpayer dollars as the cost of construction goes up over time."

She added: "This misguided plan weakens our national security and will likely cost American taxpayers more money in the long run, which is why I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have rejected taking money away from these important military projects. We all support the men and women of our Armed Forces and must work together to ensure they have the resources and support to do their jobs and keep us safe."

PREMIUM CONTENT:Trump is rebuilding the border fence and taking groundwater from a desert preserve to do so

McSally, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, downplayed the move earlier this month. In a statement, she said the Fort Huachuca project faced delay due to "unforseen environmental issues" at the construction site.

A spokeswoman for her office has said those issues are expected to continue for another year.

Have news to share about Arizona's U.S. senators or national politics? Reach the reporter on Twitter and Facebook. Contact her at yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com and 602-444-4712.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

Subscribe for free to The Gaggle political podcast on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you listen to audio content.