Wyden co-sponsors bill to block ‘raid of funds’ for border wall

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced Wednesday he is co-sponsoring legislation that he said would prohibit Donald Trump from diverting billions of dollars authorized for critical domestic priorities to instead waste on a needless border wall.

“Donald Trump can’t just invent a sham emergency so he can siphon off resources already committed to vital work, then misuse that money to slap up his unnecessary vanity project on the southern border,” Wyden said in a news release.

“This legislation would put a stop to his gross abuse of emergency powers,” Wyden said, “and make sure he follows the law by keeping these funds where Congress authorized them to go – for critical disaster recovery, flood protection, and military construction.”

The Stopping Executive Overreach on Military Appropriations Act would bar the transfer of any funding from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or military construction accounts for construction, land acquisition or other activities related to Trump’s border wall following any potential emergency declaration, unless Congress granted specific authority to do so. 

The legislation led by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) also is sponsored by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).

Text of the bill is here.