Feb 19, 2019 · A coalition of attorneys general from 16 states sued the Trump administration Monday over President Trump's declaration of a national emergency to fund border security measures, calling the White ...
The National Emergencies Act allows the President to declare a national emergency and unlock a stash of funds by invoking certain statutory authority. The President has wide discretion over what constitutes a national emergency.
ATAMI, JAPAN - JULY 04: Rescue workers search for missing people at the site of a landslide on July 04, 2021 in Atami, Shizuoka, Japan. A rescue operation is underway after a landslide, caused by torrential rain, tore through the Japanese resort city of Atami on Saturday, killing two and leaving around twenty missing. (Photo by Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images)
This coalition of states in the lawsuit also includes Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Virginia. The group includes two of the four states located along the southern border, California and New Mexico. All but one of the states, Maryland, have Democratic governors.
The president says he plans to allocate a total of $8 billion to the wall, including redirecting $3.6 billion in military construction funds and $2.5 billion from the Department of Defense's counter-drug activities.
The White House has argued that the move is routine. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, presidents have declared national emergencies 60 times, including Trump, since the power was codified in the National Emergencies Act of 1976.