The authorities of 20 states filed a lawsuit against the administration of US President Donald Trump in connection with its plans to send budget funds to build a wall on the border with Mexico. According to a statement released on the website of the New York State Attorney General Laetitia James.
Suit field in Federal District Court for the Northern District of California. As James stresses, state authorities are trying “to block the Trump Administration from initiating an unlawful diversion of $1.6 billion in federal taxpayer funds to build an unauthorized border wall.” Claimants emphasize that the money was originally intended by Congress to finance law enforcement agencies, the suppression of drug trafficking, as well as the construction of military facilities.
The authorities of these 20 states also emphasize that the construction of the wall will damage the environment.
“In addition, any diversion of taxpayer funds and resources toward the unauthorized construction of a border wall will cause environmental harm to New Mexico and other border states. These potential harms are imminent and must be prevented during the pendency of the coalition’s lawsuit challenging the illegal diversion of taxpayer funds,” said in indicated in the statement on website of State of California Department of Justice.
On February 15, Trump signed a declaration on the introduction of a state of emergency on the southern border of the country. As the representative of the White House told at a telephone briefing, this will allow Trump, in particular, to accumulate a total of about $ 8 billion. This amount includes $ 1.6 billion, which is mentioned in the lawsuit.
Previously, Trump and the Republicans sought to include in the state budget over $ 5.7 billion to build the wall on the border with Mexico. Due to disputes on that score with Democrats in the US Congress, on December 22, 2018, there was a suspension of the work of the federal government, which lasted a record 35 days.
