Federal judge rules to 'block' President Trump from using funds to build border wall
(Baonghean.vn) - A federal judge has just ruled to permanently block US President Donald Trump from using Department of Defense funds to carry out his plan to build a southern border wall.
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| The US-Mexico border wall: one of President Donald Trump's election pledges. Photo: Getty |
Under this latest ruling, the Trump administration will permanently be unable to use Department of Defense funds or other military funds to build additional barriers on the southern border.
Kristy Parker, counsel for Defend Democracy, a nonprofit representing the plaintiffs, emphasized:“The President’s emergency declaration is an attempt to wrest power from Congress. Today’s ruling affirms that the President is not a king and that the courts are ready to investigate when there are signs of exceeding prescribed limits.”
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader - Democratic Senator Charles Schumer said that this verdict has“confirmed that the President’s national emergency declaration was intended to steal money from military families to build a wall that he promised Mexico would pay for. And that this isexpressionpresentlyof workexcessive use of power by a Presidentg, refused to respect the separation of powers according toHUS Constitution
Senator Charles Schumer also commented,“This ruling is a victory for the rule of law, a warning to Republicans in Congress as well as the Trump administration that the power granted to Congress by the Constitution cannot be usurped.”
The latest ruling is a legal setback for President Trump's pledge to build a 700-kilometer wall along the US-Mexico border. In September, Defense Secretary Mark Esper authorized the transfer of $3.6 billion in military construction funds to 11 wall projects on the southern border with Mexico. The Pentagon said at the time that half of the money would come from overseas military projects, while the other half would come from military projects already planned in the US.
Judge David Briones’ ruling, however, does not apply to other funds (other than defense funds) that have been designated for border wall construction, including anti-drug funds or Treasury Department funds. However, in his ruling, Judge David Briones wrote that the court will continue to consider the scope of implementation after hearing further reports on this issue./.
