Albany and Sacramento on Friday noted that they will bring lawsuits against Trump for his attempt to declare a national emergency; a move the embattled president hopes will allow him to get his hands on billions of dollars so that a wall along the US border with Mexico — long-cherished Trump promise — can be built, according to Reuters.
Trump's declaration of a national emergency — although government and military representatives almost unilaterally acknowledge that no such emergency exists — is seen by Capitol Hill as a means to circumvent Congress.
Following Trump's declaration, New York state Attorney General Letitia James took a belligerent tone to match that of the president, asserting that no declaration would be permitted, according to Reuters.
In a concurrent statement following the Trump decree, California Governor Gavin Newsom noted that the president's national emergency on the Mexico-US border is "made-up," cited by Reuters.
"Our message back to the White House is simple and clear: California will see you in court," Newsom remarked, cited by The Hill.
The beleaguered US president has long sought to fulfill a 2016 campaign promise to build a wall along the southern border of the United States. Trump has long used questionable statistics that are consistently debunked by agencies within his own administration — including the Department of Homeland Security, US Customs and Border Protection and the Pentagon — in attempts to support his claims, according to multiple reports.