The Supreme Court has decided the Trump Administration can redirect $2.5 billion Pentagon funds for the border wall constructions.
The Court ruled in a 5-4 vote to remove the injunction placed by a lower court, thus allowing the Trump Administration to proceed with using some of the Pentagon funds previously reallocated for the construction of the border wall, the Associated Press reported Friday evening.
#SCOTUS allows Trump administration to use $2.5 billion in military funds to construct part of wall along US-Mexico border
— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) July 26, 2019
Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan voted to deny the application, while Justice Stephen Breyer dissented in part of the decision, according to a Supreme Court document posted online.
Supreme Court says it would lift a freeze on about $2.5B in Defense Department funds the Trump Administration wants to use to build sections of a border wall with Mexico. https://t.co/sdwDCXslId
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 26, 2019
Not long after the ruling was released, President Trump tweeted his reaction.
“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!” the President tweeted late Friday.
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
Earlier this year, President Trump ordered the Pentagon to draw some $3.6 billion from the Pentagon’s military construction funds, and pull some $2.5 billion from military counternarcotics programs, as well as $600 million from an asset forfeiture program in the Treasury Department.
The order followed Trump’s national emergency declaration on February 15 requiring that $6.5 billion in funding would be diverted to southern border security.
A trial court had decided in May to halt the Administration from using the funds.
