Border wall battle will rage on as Trump vetoes the block to his national emergency
President Trump used his veto power to block legislation against his border wall emergency declaration, setting up the first veto of his administration.
The President signed the veto in the Oval Office Friday afternoon after the Senate voted 59-41 to block the declaration on Thursday, with 12 Republicans joining Democrats.
photo/ donkeyhotey
Several senators face competitive re-election races sided with the president and opposed the resolution, including Sens. Cory Gardner of Colorado, Martha McSally of Arizona, Joni Ernst of Iowa, David Perdue of Georgia and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Here are some of the other senators with potentially competitive races who voted against the resolution: John Cornyn of Texas, Steve Daines of Montana, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Dan Sullivan of Alaska.
Joining the opposition is retiring Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander, stating that he supports the president on border security but that the emergency declaration sets a dangerous precedent. “His declaration to take an additional $3.6 billion that Congress has appropriated for military hospitals, barracks and schools is inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution that I swore an oath to support and defend,” Alexander said in a statement Thursday ahead of the vote.
“For decades, Congress has been giving far too much legislative power to the executive branch,” Utah Sen. Mike Lee said in a statement announcing his decision.
The declaration would set aside $3.6 billion more to border barriers than Congress approved. It would redirect billions in federal dollars earmarked for defense spending toward the southern border wall. It still faces several legal challenges in federal court.
There is no evidence that there is enough votes (67) to overturn the President’s veto.
In the wake of the immigration battle, the result immigration debate will now be cemented among the key attacks for Democrats in 2020, who even call for a full defunding of ICE.
[…] Border wall battle will rage on as Trump vetoes the block to his national emergency […]