Colorado joining with other states to challenge wall funding

Colorado is joining with California and other states in challenging President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration to fund a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

In a joint statement Monday, Gov. Jared Polis and Attorney General Phil Weiser said they decided to join the effort in part because tens of millions of dollars could be diverted from military construction projects in Colorado to build a border wall. The two Democrats also said the lawsuit will defend “the rule of law.”

The Colorado Springs area is home to several large military installations, including Fort Carson, the Air Force Academy and Peterson Air Force Base, the home of U.S. Northern Command which is responsible for homeland defense. Besides providing for the nation’s defense, Polis and Weiser said Colorado’s military facilities are important economic drivers.