WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ahead of a possible announcement by President Donald Trump to declare a national emergency and re-allocate billions of dollars for a border wall that he promised Mexico would pay for, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement:
“Donald Trump has already wasted more than $130 million taxpayer dollars on an inappropriate deployment of U.S. troops to the border that forced thousands of military families to spend the holidays without their loved ones. Now, it appears increasingly likely that to pay for his wall, Trump intends to steal billions of dollars that have already been allocated by Congress to fund critical national defense and disaster recovery projects, undermining our ability to respond to real threats and protect the American people from the next military crisis or natural disaster.
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“Not only is that an unlawful abuse of presidential power but it raises the question, why is the President still holding the paychecks of hundreds of thousands of federal employees and contractors hostage? Right now, families are wondering how they are going to pay their mortgages, TSA agents are worried about eviction and Coast Guardsmen are having to rely on garage sales and food pantries. This ridiculous shutdown needs to end immediately so we can re-open the government and stop punishing the American people.”
