According to a media report, the US government is preparing to declare a national emergency for the construction of the controversial border with Mexico. President Donald Trump could thus gain access to an army fund without the consent of the Democratic congressional majority, the Washington Post reported today (local time) citing two insiders.
According to NBC News, the nearly $ 14 billion fund of the Army Corps of Engineers, which is actually earmarked for US civil protection and prevention projects, could be tapped. This could finance new border barriers over a length of 500 kilometers.
The White House denies that Trump has been informed of such a plan. „The NBC story is completely wrong, fake news,“ spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said. The Ministry of Defense did not want to comment.
Trump visited Border
With a visit to the border with Mexico Trump has tried to emphasize his demand for billions of dollars for the construction of the wall. Yesterday, at the McAllen border post in Texas, Trump once again lamented an „enormous flood of illegal immigration, drug trafficking, human trafficking“ that could be stopped by the border wall. Previously, he had tightened his attacks on the opposition Democrats, who refuse him the billions for the wall.
The dispute over the financing of the wall has prevented Congress from passing a new budget law. The result is a three-week shutdown of a large part of the federal authorities. For this reason, around 800,000 federal employees will receive no salary for the first time since the beginning of the block.
Trump threatened to declare a national emergency
Trump describes the wall as a necessary instrument against the „security crisis“ at the border. The Democrats, who have had a majority in the House of Representatives since the beginning of the year, deny the existence of such a „crisis“ and call the wall superfluous and immoral.
Trump again threatened to declare a national emergency to raise funds for the Wall and end the budget freeze. If there is no „deal“ with the Democrats, he will do so.
