"Here's what's happening is that we've already told Congress this, which is that none of the programs that were scheduled to be started, or what we call obligated, in 2019, so between now and the end of September, will be impacted at all," Mulvaney told CBS' Margaret Brennan on "Face the Nation."
Last month, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency along the Southern border in order to unlock billions of more dollars from the existing budget in order to pay for the wall. Mulvaney said "it could be awhile" before the administration sends to Congress a list that details where they intend to take money from to fund the construction of the wall.
Mulvaney told Brennan that he has no knowledge of an already prepared list of programs that will be impacted by the President's declaration, which is a key concern for opponents of the declaration.
"There is no list of projects that are absolutely going to not be funded so that the wall can be. What it is is a list of programs that fit the criteria I've just laid out for you. Which is that they're are meant to be funded beyond the end of this fiscal year," he said.
"Why is that important? Because if it's going to be a project that would have been funded say in 2021, OK, that gives us another couple of years to back fill. Congress will pass another appropriation this year, next year, so that ultimately none of the programs will be impacted," Mulvaney said.
Last week, Trump vetoed a congressional resolution aimed at blocking his declaration, saying that the measure "put countless Americans in danger."
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