The Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Trump Administration can use $2.5 billion in Pentagon funds to build the border wall.
“Supreme Court backs Trump on border wall, lets administration start using reprogrammed Pentagon dollars to construct more than 100 miles of fencing,” Bloomberg Supreme Court reporter Greg Stohr said on Friday.
BREAKING: Supreme Court backs Trump on border wall, lets administration start using reprogrammed Pentagon dollars to construct more than 100 miles of fencing.
— Greg Stohr (@GregStohr) July 26, 2019
“The four liberal justices all at least partially dissent. Breyer says he would let the administration finalize the contracts but not begin construction,” Stohr reported.
— Greg Stohr (@GregStohr) July 26, 2019
President Trump declared a national emergency in February in order to divert Pentagon funds to build the border wall.
Several lawsuits were filed following Trump’s declaration and Congress even tried stopping the president.
The Justice Department took the request all the way up to the Supreme Court and argued that Trump has the authority to transfer funds from the Pentagon.
More from the Associated Press:
The court’s five conservative justices gave the administration the greenlight to begin work on four contracts it has awarded using Defense Department money. Funding for the projects had been frozen by lower courts. The court’s four liberal justices wouldn’t have allowed construction to start.
A trial court initially froze the funds in May and an appeals court kept that freeze in place earlier this month. The freeze had prevented the government from tapping approximately $2.5 billion in Defense Department money to replace existing sections of barrier in Arizona, California and New Mexico with more robust fencing.
President Trump celebrated the victory on Friday evening, calling it a “Big WIN for Border Security and the Rule of Law!”
Wow! Big VICTORY on the Wall. The United States Supreme Court overturns lower court injunction, allows Southern Border Wall to proceed. Big WIN for Border Security and the Rule of Law!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2019
This is a breaking story…please check back for updates.
