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May 28, 2019

Judge Blocks Redirecting of Federal Funds to Build Parts of Border Wall
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In a blow to President Trump's attempt to build a massive wall along the
U.S.-Mexico border, a federal judge in California on Friday blocked
Trump from redirecting $1 billion of Army personnel funds to build
sections of the wall as part of his declaration of a national emergency.
In his ruling, Judge Haywood Gilliam said, "The position that when
Congress declines the Executive's request to appropriate funds, the
Executive nonetheless may simply find a way to spend those funds
'without Congress' does not square with fundamental separation of powers
principles." The decision came in response to a lawsuit brought by the
Sierra Club and the Southern Border Communities Coalition, and affects
portions of the wall running through Yuma, Arizona, and El Paso, Texas.

Meanwhile, a group called We Build the Wall has said they successfully
completed construction on half a mile of border wall on private property
in the El Paso, Texas, area. The group is backed by Steve Bannon and
former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.


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