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Court ruling allows Trump administration to use $3.6 billion in military funds for border wall

Posted at 7:23 AM, Jan 09, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-09 09:42:53-05

A federal appeals court ruled that the Trump administration can use military funds for the construction of a wall on the southern border Wednesday.

In a 2-1 decision, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, based in New Orleans, issued a stay on a lower court's ruling that blocked the spending. Judges appointed by Trump and President Ronald Raegan ruled in favor of the decision, a judge appointed by President Barack Obama opposed it, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The case can still be appealed further, but the ruling was a win for Trump, who campaigned on the promise of a border wall.

Trump touted the ruling in a tweet Thursday morning, saying that a border wall is "desperately" needed.

The ruling undoes a December action by a Texas judge that halted the use of military funds for the border wall, saying that the $3.6 billion in military construction projects could not be used for the project.

In early 2019, Trump refused to sign a spending bill that did not include funding for a border wall, shutting down the federal government for a record 35 days,