Biden admin blocked from diverting border wall funds elsewhere

U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton of the Southern District of Texas issued a temporary injunction last week preventing President Joe Biden and his administration from diverting funds appropriated by Congress to construct a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

The ruling rejected the reasoning that the federal government has the right to spend funds however it wants. It is well-known that Congress has the power of the purse to control spending and appropriations.

Tipton pointed out that Texas has proven that the funds are not being spent on a border wall and that such barriers “would result in fewer illegal aliens entering the country.”

He gave Biden seven days to appeal the ruling.

“Biden acted completely improperly by refusing to spend the money that Congress appropriated for border wall construction, and even attempting to redirect those funds,” state Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement. “His actions demonstrate his desperation for open borders at any cost, but Texas has prevailed.”

The $1.4 billion was appropriated while Trump was still in office but has not been spent.