Politics

VETO: Trump Upholds National Emergency At Southern Border

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Saagar Enjeti White House Correspondent
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President Donald Trump vetoed a congressional disapproval resolution of his national emergency declaration at the U.S. southern border Friday afternoon, in a ceremony at the Oval Office.

Trump characterized the resolution as “dangerous” in Oval Office comments, and maintained that “the protection of the nation is my highest duty.”

Trump’s national emergency declaration nearly a month ago 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 resolution passed the Republican-controlled Senate and the Democrat-controlled House by a large majority and officially registers a rebuke of Trump’s action. The resolution is non-binding however unless both chambers of Congress are able to muster a two-thirds majority, support they are not currently able to demonstrate.

Trump made his intentions clear before the vote in a simple tweet:

Twelve Republicans joined the Democrats in voting for the resolution, saying that Trump is circumventing Congress’s enumerated power of the purse to appropriate funds and using 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)

They included Sens. Marco Rubio, Rob Portman, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Pat Toomey, Roy Blunt, Lamar Alexander, Mitt Romney, Rand Paul, Jerry Moran, Mike Lee, and Roger Wicker.

Trump made clear ahead of the vote and after the vote that he would issue a swift veto. The veto will likely put the matter to rest as neither chamber of Congress appears to have the necessary two-thirds majority to overturn Trump’s veto.