Courtney Bourgoin, courtney.bourgoin@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC-- Today, the Trump administration announced they will steal $1.5 billion in Pentagon funds to construct 80 more miles of wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. The move brings the total transferred out of the Pentagon budget for border walls to $2.5 billion.
The transfer of money comes on the heels of Trump’s national emergency declaration in February-- which is being vigorously challenged in the courts by the Sierra Club and others. Following a lawsuit challenging the emergency declaration, the Sierra Club and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed for a preliminary injunction, seeking to block the $1 billion originally transferred from the Pentagon in April. The official hearing on the injunction is set for Friday, May 17. More information can be found here.
In response, Karla Terry, US Army Veteran and Co-Chair of Sierra Club’s Borderlands team from Tucson, AZ released the following statement:
"One of the first things that I did when I joined the Army was take an oath to support and defend the United States. In this case, I firmly believe that means stopping the construction of destructive walls along our border and the inhumane actions being taken by this administration. I can not stay quiet while border communities, public and private lands, now military personnel their families and fellow veterans are being devastated. Building walls causes a multitude of problems, while solving none-- placing entire communities and natural systems in its path of destruction.
“The courts must stop this attack on our democracy, environment and people along our border. The Sierra Club is committed to fighting the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant, environmentally-destructive agenda every step of the way.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.