Report: Trump considering cuts to Coast Guard, airport security to fund border wall

by Rebecca Savransky - 03/07/17 10:42 PM ET

The Trump administration is reportedly considering cutting funding to the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and other agencies to find money for the president’s proposed border wall and immigration enforcement plans.

The Washington Post reported that a draft plan, created by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), would also cut the budget of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The budget for the Coast Guard would be cut by about 14 percent, from $9.1 billion in 2017 to $7.8 billion under the drafted proposal. The TSA and FEMA budgets would be cut by about 11 percent to $4.5 billion and $3.6 billion, respectively, according to the Post.

{mosads}According to the plan, the budget for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would increase by 6.4 percent, to $43.8 billion.

The Post reported that $2.9 billion of that would go toward building the president’s proposed border wall. Another $1.9 billion would go toward “immigration detention beds” and other expenses for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and $285 million would go toward hiring more Border Patrol agents and ICE agents.

“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, according to the Post.

“The Budget aggressively implements the President’s commitment to construct a physical wall along the southern border.”

Under the plan, funding for ICE would increase by about 36 percent, and for Customs and Border Protection, it would rise by about 27 percent.

White House spokesman Michael Short on Tuesday said people shouldn’t draw conclusions from the plan because it is in its early stages.

“Trying to draw conclusions this early would be extremely premature,” Short said.