Navy Times 1/23/2020
A federal judge in Washington state is considering whether to block President Donald Trump from diverting billions of dollars from military construction projects to build sections of border wall along the Southern border.
U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Rothstein said Thursday she hoped to rule within a few weeks on the state's challenge to the administration. An appeals court ruling expected soon in a similar challenge could take precedence over her decision.
Washington is far from the U.S.-Mexico border, but Attorney General Bob Ferguson argues that the state nevertheless would be harmed if the administration's plans go forward. The Pentagon has shifted $3.6 billion from military construction projects — one of them in Washington state — to build 175 miles of border fencing in four states.
Losing that construction money — $89 million for a pier and other security improvements at Naval Base Kitsap west of Seattle — would cost the state $2.6 million in tax revenue over the next two years, and that’s enough to give Washington standing to challenge the administration’s plans in court, Ferguson said.
Lawyers for Washington and the Justice Department argued the case before Rothstein on Thursday amid fast-moving developments in the case.
More:
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2020/01/24/will-a-case-tied-to-a-navy-base-scuttle-trumps-border-wall/
