House Dems Sue Trump Admin Over Its Border Wall Plan

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 25: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during a news conference with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) following an announced end to the partial government shutdown at the U.... WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 25: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during a news conference with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) following an announced end to the partial government shutdown at the U.S. Capitol January 25, 2019 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to reopen federal agencies shutdown for the past 4 weeks while negotiations about border security take place between congressional leaders over the next three weeks. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats have filed a lawsuit aimed at preventing President Donald Trump from spending more money than Congress has approved to erect barriers along the southwestern border.

Democrats say Trump’s attempt to transfer billions of dollars from several programs to wall construction violates the Constitution, which gives Congress control over spending. The 45-page complaint was filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls Trump’s act a “brazen assault” on the Constitution.

Congress approved just under $1.4 billion for work on border barricades. Trump has asserted he can use his powers as chief executive to transfer another $6.7 billion to wall construction.

Attorneys general from 20 states, plus environmental and progressive groups, have filed other lawsuits aimed at blocking the transfers.

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  1. Nicely timed to create a cranky weekend for Spanky.

  2. Maybe Barr will follow up with more of the Mueller Report this evening, then?

    Use the lawsuit and border shit to try to drown out the russkies…

  3. Avatar for pshah pshah says:

    I assume they’ll get a temporary injunction until the case gets heard.

    The military should file a friend of the court brief siding with the Democrats, but that would piss off Trump to no end.

  4. a “brazen assault” on the Constitution.

    “And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything … Grab them by the purse-strings. You can do anything.”

  5. He is going crazy already.

    After a week of statements like “100% will close the border” and the “President is not bluffing” he ‘delays’ the border closure for 1 year (“We’re going to give them a one-year warning”) then says that is fake news (“Somebody said it will take a year. No, it won’t take a year. It’ll take a day. They wrote a lot of fake news. I said in a year,” Trump said.) and today visits "new Wall’

    According to the Arizona Republic, the two-mile stretch replacement barrier [i.e., repair of previous wall] he’ll see was authorized prior to when he came into office, but a plaque on the bollards calls it “the first section of President Trump’s border wall.”

    Edit (related): Trump suddenly withdraws nomination of acting head of ICE, Ron Vitiello. DHS was blindsided, even claiming to AP Thursday night that report must be a “paperwork error.” CNN reports Stephen Miller was behind the unexpected yank of the 30-year official, citing a “tougher direction” for ICE. Trump is now 0/2 on ICE Directors in past 2 years.

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