LEGAL BATTLE

House Files Lawsuit Against Trump Administration Over Border Wall Funding

“Even the monarchs of England long ago lost the power to raise and spend money without the approval of Parliament,” the lawsuit reads.

The House of Representatives have formally filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over President Trump’s funding of his desired border wall, claiming that the move violated the “Appropriations Clause and the constitutional separation of powers.” The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in D.C., was filed against a number of administration departments and leaders—including the Treasury, Homeland Security, Defense, and Interior. “Having lost the political fight over funds to construct the wall, the Administration took the extraordinary step of announcing that it would nevertheless spend up to $8.1 billion on wall construction. In doing so, the Administration flouted fundamental separation-of-powers principles and usurped for itself legislative power specifically vested by the Constitution in Congress,” the lawsuit reads. “Even the monarchs of England long ago lost the power to raise and spend money without the approval of Parliament.”

This comes after President Trump declared a national emergency to fund his desired border wall, which would pull money from other departments for the project. “Today, the House is taking action once more to uphold the Constitution from the President’s brazen assault, and to defend our Democracy,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said in a statement.