Trump to declare national emergency; move to free up $8 bn for border wall

Trump's gambit combines an emergency declaration with normal executive actions, and comes after he failed to convince Congress of the necessity for his proposed wall

President Donald Trump said Friday he’ll declare a national emergency on the U.S. southern border in a bid to unlock money to build his proposed wall.

Combined with spending legislation Trump also intends to sign Friday or Saturday, the move will free up about $8 billion for the wall, Trump’s top campaign promise, Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney told reporters in a conference call. He criticized Congress for not providing more than $1.375 billion in the spending bill passed on Thursday, enough for about 55 miles of physical barriers.

“They’re simply incapable” of providing necessary funding for the wall, Mulvaney