Washington D.C., Apr 24, 2019 / 11:40 am
Lawyers representing the US House of Representatives on Tuesday filed a motion in federal court to block funding for the construction of a wall on the US-Mexico border, which President Donald Trump had planned to fund primarily using Department of Defense money.
"Absent this Court's timely intervention, defendants are poised to begin construction on the border wall next month, using funds that Congress declined to appropriate for that purpose," the motion reads.
"This Court should therefore issue a preliminary injunction to prevent that irreparable injury to the House."
Trump had planned to fund the wall's construction using money appropriated under an emergency declaration he issued in February. By invoking the National Emergencies Act, the president can gain access to sources of funding otherwise unavailable to him. The 1976 act does not contain a specific definition of what constitutes a "national emergency."