Coalition of 16 US States Sue Trump Administration Over Emergency Declaration

01:47 GMT, 19 February 2019

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – A coalition of 16 US states led by California have filed a lawsuit against the administration of US President Donald Trump over the latter’s decision to declare a state of emergency in order to gain finances for building a wall on the US-Mexico border, local media reported.

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Last week, Trump signed a national emergency declaration to secure funding to build the wall. The US president acknowledged he was likely to be sued for declaring the national emergency, adding that he would be successful in the US Supreme Court.

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According to The New York Times, the lawsuit was filed on Monday at the US District Court for the Northern District of California.

"Today, on Presidents Day, we take President Trump to court to block his misuse of presidential power […] We’re suing President Trump to stop him from unilaterally robbing taxpayer funds lawfully set aside by Congress for the people of our states. For most of us, the Office of the Presidency is not a place for theater,” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said, quoted by The New York Times.

Trump’s disagreements with the Democrats on the border wall issue previously resulted in a record 35-day partial government shutdown that ended a few weeks ago.