Sixteen States File Joint Lawsuit To Block Trump's 'National Emergency'

Donald Trump

Sixteen states have filed a joint lawsuit to stop Donald Trump from using 'national emergency' powers to get funding for his long-promised wall on the southern border of the United States.

From The New York Times:

The lawsuit is part of a constitutional confrontation that Mr. Trump set off on Friday when he declared that he would spend billions of dollars more on border barriers than Congress had granted him. The clash raises questions over congressional control of spending, the scope of emergency powers granted to the president, and how far the courts are willing to go to settle such a dispute.

The suit, filed in Federal District Court in San Francisco, argues that the president does not have the power to divert funds for constructing a wall along the Mexican border because it is Congress that controls spending.

Xavier Becerra, the attorney general of California, said in an interview that the president himself had undercut his argument that there was an emergency on the border.

“Probably the best evidence is the president’s own words,” he said, referring to Mr. Trump’s speech on Feb. 15 announcing his plan: “I didn’t need to do this, but I’d rather do it much faster.”

Joining California and New York are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon and Virginia.

You can read the full lawsuit here.

Since Congress enacted the National Emergencies Act of 1976, presidents have declared 59 national emergencies. Prior to Trump's declaration, not one has been for funding of a political goal.

Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump repeatedly told his followers he would 'build the wall' and Mexico would pay for it.

Using this emergency declaration, Trump will take funds previously allocated to law enforcement priorities and military construction.