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Appeals Court Rules Stealing Military Funds for Trump Border Wall Is Illegal
We were told Mexico would pay for it. Then Trump stole money from our military to build a few miles of xenophobic wall. Senate Republicans refuse to do it, but fortunately our courts are reminding Trump that he is not a king.
The Trump administration does not have the authority to use military funding to pay for construction of a border wall, a federal appeals court panel ruled on Friday [6/26/20].
In a 2-1 ruling, a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel found that diverting $2.5 billion Congress had appropriated for the military violated the Constitution and is unlawful.
The decision upheld a ruling by a federal judge in California who last year found that the Trump administration's funding scheme was against the law. A coalition of states led by California had filed suit to block the move.
The Department of Justice is likely to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
This ruling affirms the Constitution and makes it clear that funding provided by Congress cannot be used as a slush fund. Trump vowed that Mexico would pay for the wall, not dollars provided for our veterans, active duty troops and their families.
The administration commandeered the military money last year after Congress refused to appropriate money for the wall. The president declared a national emergency at the border in order to access the money from the Pentagon.
The administration has already awarded much of the money, including a $1.3-billion job in Arizona that was announced last month. Trump visited Yuma, Arizona, on Tuesday to mark completion of the 200th mile of border wall during his administration, much of it with the transferred military funds that the 9th Circuit panel found illegal.
... of the fencing that's been built up so far, just three miles' worth is new construction.
This is good news... for now...