Lawmakers uneasy about using military money and active-duty troops at border

WASHINGTON - With more than 2,300 U.S. troops still stationed at the southern border, lawmakers pressed Defense Department officials Tuesday to defend the deployment of active-duty members and asked whether President Trump plans on declaring a national emergency so he can use Pentagon funds for a border wall.

"The reason was, in the first place, there was a perceived crisis at the border," said Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the new chairman of the House Armed Services panel. "There really isn't that much evidence