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DENVER — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has denounced Donald Trump’s decision to declare a national emergency that could allow the president to build a southern border wall.

The Democratic governor issued a Friday statement calling Trump’s plan to bypass Congress to spend more money on border barriers “an astonishing abuse of power.”

Polis says that “while the president tries to separate us, Coloradans, and my administration, will continue to unite by building a better Colorado for all.”

Congress has given Trump about $1.4 billion for border barriers, well below the $5.7 billion Trump has insisted he needed to build a wall.

Trump’s move has been condemned by Democrats and elicited threats of lawsuits from states and others who might lose federal money or say Trump is abusing his authority.