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Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16), member of the House Armed Services Committee, along with Representatives Jackie Speier (CA-14), Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. (CA-39), and Deb Haaland (NM-01), led a letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper urging the military to demonstrate appropriate restraint and halt non-essential projects, such as construction of the border wall, during the coronavirus pandemic to safeguard the health and safety of military personnel.

The letter followed reports of accelerated border wall construction, despite the fact that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued clear guidance on social distancing and other precautions that must necessarily be observed across the country, including by military and Department personnel, to blunt coronavirus impacts.

“We appreciate the precautions you have directed across DoD, including stopping troop movements and limiting training and exercises. Similarly, the military can be a leader in demonstrating appropriate restraint and halting non-essential projects, such as construction of the border wall, that put personnel and communities at risk. Additionally, it is inappropriate to proceed with the eminent domain procedures associated with Texas construction projects at a time when Americans are rightly focused on the immediate needs of health and safety,” wrote the lawmakers.  

The letter continues, “At a time when our nation is fighting against a dangerous pandemic and resources are scarce, we urge you to concentrate your own resources and efforts where they are most needed and heed public health guidance for non-essential projects such as the border wall.”

Full letter is available here.