A coalition of 16 U.S. states led by California has sued President Donald Trump’s administration over his decision to declare a national emergency to obtain funds for building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California came just days after Trump invoked emergency powers last Friday after Congress declined to fulfill his request for $5.7 billion to help build the wall that was his signature 2016 campaign promise.
The President’s move aims to let him spend money appropriated by Congress for other purposes.
Congress had made a move to avert a second government shutdown, passing a budget that allocated nearly $1.4 billion toward border fencing. Trump’s emergency order would give him an additional $6.7 billion beyond what lawmakers authorized.
