Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has come to the defense of former President Donald Trump's initial executive orders, asserting that Trump acted within his presidential powers in seeking to end birthright citizenship and temporarily halt appropriations funding.

In a recent interview, Bailey argued that the 14th Amendment, the basis for birthright citizenship, has been misinterpreted. He stated that the amendment was never intended to encourage illegal immigration. Bailey also highlighted what he sees as the Biden administration's repeated attempts to manipulate appropriations laws, emphasizing his own efforts to counter these actions. It's worth noting that Trump's order to end birthright citizenship has already been met with several legal challenges.

Bailey explained his interpretation of the 14th Amendment, stating that it was created after the Civil War to address the Dred Scott decision and protect individuals like Dred Scott, not to grant citizenship to those born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants. Legal experts like Hans von Spakovsky from the Heritage Foundation have pointed out that the 14th Amendment, originally designed to grant citizenship to former slaves and their descendants, wasn't applied to birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants until over a century later.

Bailey also defended Trump's order to pause federal appropriations funding. He explained that this action was taken to ensure federal agencies aligned with the new administration's policies before disbursing funds. He questioned the stance of critics who labeled this a constitutional crisis, highlighting what he views as similar actions by the Biden administration regarding border wall funding and student loan debt relief.

Opponents of Trump's executive orders have initiated lawsuits to block them. The ACLU, joined by 22 Democrat-led states, filed a lawsuit challenging the birthright citizenship order, claiming it is unconstitutional. They argue that the 14th Amendment's text only excludes children of foreign diplomats born on U.S. soil from becoming citizens.