Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a significant victory, halting the Biden Administration’s attempt to redirect funds away from border wall construction. The administration declined to appeal after losing the case in federal court, thus forfeiting any further claims. The court directed the Biden Administration to continue the construction using the funding appropriated by Congress.
At President Donald Trump's urging, Congress allocated approximately $1.4 billion for constructing walls and barriers along the southern border in 2019 and 2020 to reduce illegal entries. Upon taking office, President Joseph Biden issued an executive order stopping border wall construction and instructed the Department of Homeland Security to find ways to redirect these funds.
Texas sued under the Administrative Procedure Act, arguing that Biden violated the Consolidated Appropriations Act and requested that the court mandate adherence to congressional directives. Earlier this year, a federal district court granted a permanent injunction against defunding efforts. The Biden Administration allowed its sixty-day appeal window to expire on July 29, 2024, maintaining the injunction.
“This is a final victory against Biden’s attempt to defund the border wall. His Administration illegally sought to prevent the construction of the border wall and illegally attempted to repurpose the money allocated for American safety and sovereignty, working instead to keep the border open,” said Attorney General Paxton. “I sued and won to stop their unlawful scheme. Now, the Administration has thrown in the towel by declining to appeal their defeat and will be legally required to build the wall.”
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