{"id":30069,"date":"2019-12-17T17:53:25","date_gmt":"2019-12-17T17:53:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/12\/17\/heres-how-a-federal-court-ruling-is-affecting-the-militarys-border-wall-construction-plans\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T13:11:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T13:11:22","slug":"heres-how-a-federal-court-ruling-is-affecting-the-militarys-border-wall-construction-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/congress\/budget\/2019\/12\/17\/heres-how-a-federal-court-ruling-is-affecting-the-militarys-border-wall-construction-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s how a federal court ruling is affecting the military\u2019s border wall construction plans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Army Corps of Engineers has halted construction<\/a> on about 175 miles of border wall after a federal judge<\/a> last week issued an injunction on $3.6 billion in military construction funds the Pentagon had diverted to help put up barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border, a spokeswoman for the Army Corps of Engineers<\/a> confirmed to Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pentagon had spent more than half a billion of the funding on four contracts for about 70 miles of that plan, according to Army data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause … the balance of the equities and public interest weigh in their favor, they are entitled to a permanent injunction against defendants\u2019 use of [military construction] funds for border barrier protection,\u201d Judge David Briones wrote in his decision for El Paso County v. Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Briones explained that President Donald Trump\u2019s declaration of a national emergency at the border, which Briones invalidated in a separate October decision, cannot override a congressionally approved federal budget, which set aside that $3.6 billion for needed military construction projects, 127 in all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will follow the two district courts\u2019 rulings, which issued nationwide injunctions or stop work, for the [milcon]-funded border barrier construction program,\u201d spokeswoman Raini Brunson told Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ruling does not affect another $2.5 billion in Pentagon funding, from a counter-drug operations account, that is still free to fund 129 miles of barrier construction, Brunson added, as well as $3.7 billion from the Homeland Security Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pentagon officials have said that weak protection from an influx of migrants at the border has required troops to deploy south since late last year, but that as construction continues, there will be less need for service members to help with surveillance and detention.<\/p>\n\n\n\t