President Donald Trump declared his intention to veto a Congressional resolution set to pass the U.S. senate that disapproves of his declaration of a national emergency at the southern border, in a Thursday morning tweet.
A big National Emergency vote today by The United States Senate on Border Security & the Wall (which is already under major construction). I am prepared to veto, if necessary. The Southern Border is a National Security and Humanitarian Nightmare, but it can be easily fixed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 14, 2019
The Republicans who have publicly said they will vote for the resolution include Sens. Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Thom Thillis, Lisa Murkowski, and Mike Lee. White House officials say that the number of Republicans who ultimately end up voting for the resolution could reach 10.
Their concerns center on the idea that Trump is circumventing Congress’s enumerated power of the purse to appropriate funds and use them as he pleases. Nearly all have noted that future Democratic presidents would exploit Trump’s action and declare their own national emergencies to fulfill campaign promises. (RELATED: 3 Senate Republicans Are Banding Together To Support Resolution To Terminate Trump’s National Emergency)
Trump issued pleas in recent weeks for senators to stand by him and some aides have threatened political repercussions to those who cross the administration.
I hope our great Republican Senators don’t get led down the path of weak and ineffective Border Security. Without strong Borders, we don’t have a Country – and the voters are on board with us. Be strong and smart, don’t fall into the Democrats “trap” of Open Borders and Crime!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2019
The resolution notes official congressional disapproval of Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the southern border. The national emergency declaration is paired with a number of executive actions designed to make approximately $8 billion of funding available to begin construction on a wall along the southern border.
The disapproval resolution passed the Democratically-controlled House by a wide margin. Some Senate Republicans and White House aides sought to stop the embarrassing defeat by attempting to create an alternative resolution that would restrict the president’s future use of executive power.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi quickly shot down the resolution and Trump himself did not appear to endorse it Wednesday in an appearance before reporters. Trump told reporters the senators can do “whatever they want” and stood by his decision.
