Federal Judge Blocks Billions In Military Funds For Trump's Border Wall
In a blow to the White House, a federal judge issued a pair of rulings late Friday blocking the Trump administration from using billions of dollars in military funds to construct the southern border wall.
The move by Oakland-based Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. of the Northern District of California halts a total of $2.5 billion in funds and stops construction in sites in New Mexico, California, Arizona and Texas.
The Trump administration planned to break ground on the sites Monday.
Judge Gilliam said the government presented no new arguments answering his previous concerns when he issued a temporary injunction last month. He then cited Congress’ “absolute” control over federal expenditures under the Constitution, “even when that control may frustrate the desires of the executive branch.” The action by the Trump administration “does not square with fundamental separation of powers principles dating back to the earliest days of our Republic,” the judge wrote then.
He also noted that Trump’s emergency declaration was undercut by the fact that the government had failed to spend all available border funds the previous year.
Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/military-funds-border-wall-trump-injunction-court_n_5d17031be4b03d61163bbd7a
