PREZ: FUNDING WALL A NATIONAL EMERGENCY
Dems vow to challenge plan; GOP support split
President Trump announced Thursday he plans to invoke a national emergency to build his long-promised border wall, drawing howls of protest from Democrats and a split reaction from Republicans.
The White House confirmed late Thursday Trump intends to use the declaration to reroute funds to the wall project as it announced Trump would sign a bipartisan compromise bill to keep the government open. That bill would give Homeland Security
$1.4 billion for immigration enforcement, but wouldn’t provide the $5.7 billion Trump wanted for the wall.
No further information about the logistics or timeline of such a declaration was immediately released. Top Democrats have vowed to challenge such a declaration in court.
Several Senate Republicans quickly sided with the president, tweeting support for his decision to take that step.
“I’m urging @POTUS to use his exec authority and do what it takes to secure our border & find permanent solution for DACA & TPS,” said Florida Sen. Rick Scott, referring to two immigrant groups Democrats want to protect from deportation. Louisiana’s Sen. Bill Cassidy tweeted, “Liberal activist judges will no doubt try to stop the president’s national emergency declaration, but there’s no disputing the humanitarian & security crisis on our southern border.”
And South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham added, “I stand firmly behind President @realDonaldTrump’s decision to use executive powers to build the wall barriers we desperately need.” But other GOPers push
ed back, with Maine Sen. Susan Collins releasing a statement saying, “Such a declaration would undermine the role of Congress and the appropriations process; it’s just not good policy.”
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio simply told reporters, “It’s a bad idea.”
“It would be a pretty dramatic expansion of how this was used in the past,” Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said.
Todd Domke, a longtime Republican political strategist who’s now turned independent, said this is a play by Trump to excite his base, even though it’s polled as unpopular among most other groups.
“The Democrats don’t even have to do any work — the Republicans are dividing and conquering themselves,” Domke said.
Various members of Massachusetts’ all-Democratic congressional delegation derided the president’s decision, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeting, “Gun violence is an emergency. Climate change is an emergency. Our country’s opioid epidemic is an emergency. Donald Trump’s ridiculous wall is not an emergency.”
Rep. Seth Moulton snarked, “Donald Trump is the national emergency.”
Rep. Katherine Clark retweeted a November 2014 Trump tweet that read, “Repubs must not allow Pres Obama to subvert the Constitution of the US for his own benefit & because he is unable to negotiate w/ Congress,” and the congresswoman added, “Your words, not ours.”