President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Wednesday that he won’t allow California to build sections of the wall on the border with Mexico until the entire wall is approved.
“I have decided that sections of the Wall that California wants built NOW will not be built until the whole Wall is approved,” Trump said.
He also declared a legal victory after U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel struck down several lawsuits from environmental groups attempting to block construction of the wall.
I have decided that sections of the Wall that California wants built NOW will not be built until the whole Wall is approved. Big victory yesterday with ruling from the courts that allows us to proceed. OUR COUNTRY MUST HAVE BORDER SECURITY!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 28, 2018
California is planning to reconstruct sections of an existing wall along the border near Calexico, Calif., more than 100 miles east of San Diego. That project has funding and had named a contractor, the Los Angeles Times reports.
It’s unclear exactly what approval Trump will hold out for. The U.S. has authority to construct a border wall, but currently lacks sufficient funding from Congress to begin the whole project.
ALSO WATCH: Prospective Border Wall Contractor On Why We Need Security
Trump requested $18 billion for the project, but a bill to approve the funding tied to extension of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program failed in the Senate last week.
Trump plans to visit California in mid-March to inspect prototypes of the wall that have been constructed near San Diego, The Washington Post reports.
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