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Coalition seeks to block $3.6B in military funding from being diverted to border wall

ARIZONA DAILY STAR VIA AP
                                The new 30-foot tall bollard fence that replaced old U.S.-Mexico border fence can be seen on the left. It’s located near the Lukeville, Ariz., port of entry.
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ARIZONA DAILY STAR VIA AP

The new 30-foot tall bollard fence that replaced old U.S.-Mexico border fence can be seen on the left. It’s located near the Lukeville, Ariz., port of entry.

A multi-state coalition including Hawaii filed a motion for partial summary judgment to block the President Donald Trump Administration from diverting $3.6 billion in military construction funds to build Trump’s proposed wall along the border between Mexico and the United States.

A news release from the Attorney General’s office said those funds would be taken from over 120 military construction projects — including two in Hawaii — but not a border wall. It also said the U.S. Congress has rejected multiple attempts to fund the project and believes Trump’s attempts to appropriate funds to the wall are unlawful and unconstitutional.

“This diversion violates the separation of powers that is fundamental to our democracy,” Hawaii AG Clare E. Connors said. “This illegal act has a direct impact on military facilities at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay, and, therefore a direct impact on the financial health of our state.”

The coalition also said the Trump Administration is violating the U.S. Constitution’s separation of power doctrine, exceeding its authority by falsely declaring a national emergency to fund the border wall, failing to address the potential harms to public health by removing the funding from over 120 construction projects and failing to do a required environmental review for the wall.

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