The U.S. Supreme Court Friday cleared the way for the Trump administration to use $2.5 billion in Department of Defense construction funds for the continued construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Reuters reports that the high court was split along ideological lines on a 5-4 vote ruling that the Southern Border Communities Coalition, the Sierra Club, and other groups "did not have grounds" to bring a lawsuit against President Trump's decision. The Supreme Court ruling allows the Trump administration to access the funds while other litigation over the wall continues.
Guam Del. Michael San Nicolas remains concerned that the decision may involve the use of construction money already allocated for the Guam military buildup.
He told the Guam Daily Post on Monday “it is possible the decision may affect Guam projects, but there is no clear indication yet as to where funds are coming from.”
On Feb. 15, Trump declared a national emergency, allowing him to access billions of dollars in federal funds and bypass Congress, which turned down his request for funding to build the wall.
At that time, San Nicolas issued a statement saying he “received information indicating (that) Trump's emergency declaration would negatively impact the Guam military buildup in a substantial way.”
The Office of the Attorney General of Guam also issued a statement in February saying it is “considering its legal options after learning that President Trump's emergency declaration may take away approximately $750 million in federal funding” from the buildup.
On Monday, spokeswoman Carlina Charfarous said the OAG "continues to monitor" the case.
