Trump contradicts Calif. gov, says feds won’t fund National Guard deployment

“Governor Jerry Brown announced he will deploy ‘up to 400 National Guard Troops’ to do nothing,” Trump tweeted. “The crime rate in California is high enough, and the Federal Government will not be paying for Governor Brown’s charade. We need border security and action, not words!”

Governor Jerry Brown announced he will deploy “up to 400 National Guard Troops” to do nothing. The crime rate in California is high enough, and the Federal Government will not be paying for Governor Brown’s charade. We need border security and action, not words!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 19, 2018

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The president’s tweet contradicted Brown’s announcement on Wednesday that the Trump administration had agreed to fund the deployment of as many as 400 California guardsmen along the U.S.-Mexico border and elsewhere. 

Brown said that the mission would focus on combating drug and gun crimes and human trafficking along the border, the California coast and within the state itself, as opposed to immigration enforcement.

“The Governor’s order, issued today, specifies that the California National Guard will not enforce immigration laws or participate in the construction of any new border barrier,” Brown’s office said in a statement.

At the weekly Pentagon press briefing on Thursday, reporters asked if Trump’s tweet meant that the Department of Defense would not be providing federal funding for the deployment of the National Guard in California.

“The Pentagon will continue to support the Department of Homeland Security as they identify their needs and their requirements,” Chief Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White responded.

“We are in a support role. National Guard troops are under Title 32 and they are under the governor’s command and control. The Department of Defense will stand ready to support DHS.” 

Brown agreed last week to deploy the California National Guard after Trump announced that he would deploy troops to the southern border to help stymie illegal border crossings.

But he also said that his state’s National Guard would not seek to enforce immigration laws, sparking a debate between state and federal officials about how California’s guardsmen would fit into Trump’s overall mission.

Updated at 1:18 p.m.