Grand opening Grand Closing

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/402267-trumps-military-parade-planned-for-veterans-day-pushed-back-until-at-least


Trump’s military parade planned for Veterans Day has been postponed until at least next year, the Pentagon announced Thursday.

Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning said in a statement that the Defense Department and White House have agreed to explore potential dates for the parade in 2019.

"The Department of Defense and White House have been planning a parade to honor America's military veterans and commemorate the centennial of World War I. We originally targeted November 10, 2018 for this event but have now agreed to explore opportunities in 2019," Manning said.

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The announcement came hours after the Defense Department released an updated cost estimate for the planned parade, which pegged the price tag for the event at $92 million, including $50 million from the Pentagon and $42 million from interagency partners.

That figure is significantly higher than an initial estimate that three U.S. defense officials provided CNN with last month. That estimate pegged the cost of the parade at closer to $12 million, raising new questions about the overall cost of the event.

The parade, originally planned for Nov. 10, days after the midterm elections, has long been the focus of scrutiny from members of both parties. Lawmakers have questioned the cost and necessity of such a show of force, comparing it to high-profile military demonstrations in countries such as North Korea.

Plans for the parade are widely unpopular with Americans in polls, with 61 percent of voters opposing the plans even before the costs were announced in a survey taken earlier this year. Just 26 percent said they supported the plans in the same poll.