An appeals court just lifted a lower court’s block on nearly $4 billion the Trump administration plans to divert from military construction funding to begin construction on a stretch of new border wall.
In a ruling late Wednesday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the administration’s request to lift an injunction on the money previously ordered last month by El-Paso based U.S. District Court Judge David Briones. The suit was originally filed by the City of El Paso and the Border Network for Human Rights, who claimed the border wall project violated congressionally-approved spending rules.
The city says it's considering its options in light of yesterday's decision.
The newly freed-up $3.6 billion is part of the $6 billion Trump pledged to reallocate from military construction spending after Congress denied his request for more money to build his promised border wall. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled last July that the administration could legally use military money for wall construction, overturning a lower court ruling that had frozen the funding pending further review.