Donald Trump 'wants the military to pay' for his Mexico border wall

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Donald Trump is said to be trying to persuade the US Defence Department to pay for the construction of his long-promised border wall between the US and Mexico.

The president proposed the idea to several of his advisers last week, claiming the issue was a matter of “national security”, the Washington Post reports.

He then floated the possibility while meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who apparently offered little reaction to the proposal, the Post said. Senior officials on Capitol Hill later told the newspaper it was unlikely that the military would pay for the concrete barrier.

Mr Trump last week grudgingly signed a massive budget bill that allocated $1.6bn for border security this year, even though the president at one point wanted $25bn to fully fund the construction of his border wall.

Mr Trump had originally said the wall would be paid for by Mexico.

Meanwhile, the $1.3 trillion government spending bill allots about $700bn for the military.

A senior Pentagon official told the Post that any reallocation of 2018 military funding for the border wall would require an act of Congress.

A budget amendment to direct more funds toward the border wall would require 60 votes in the Senate.

With Republicans currently holding a slim 51-seat majority in the 100-member upper chamber, such a measure is unlikely to pass.