Trump’s promise for veto on wall

US PRESIDENT Donald d first Trump veto is prepared of his term to issue if Conthe e gress votes to disapprove his declaration of a national emergency along the US-Mexico border, a top White House ad-viser says.

Stephen Miller said “the e President is going to protect t his national emergency declar-ation”. Asked if that meant Mr

r Trump was ready to veto a resolution of disapproval, Mr Mil-ler added: “He’s going to protect his national emergency declaration, guaranteed.”

The West Wing is digging in for fights on multiple fronts as the President’s effort to go around Congress to fund his long-promised border wall faces bipartisan criticism and multiple legal challenges.

After politicians in both parties blocked his requests for billions of dollars to fulfil his signature campaign pledge, Mr Trump’s declaration on Friday of a national emergency shifts billions of federal dollars earmarked for military construction to the border.

California Attorney-General Xavier Becerra said his state would sue “imminently” to block the order, after the American Civil Liberties Union and the non-profit watchdog group Public Citizen announced they were taking legal action.

Democrats are planning to introduce a resolution disapproving of the declaration once Congress returns to session and it is likely to pass both chambers. Several Republican senators are indicating they would vote against Mr Trump – but there do not yet appear to be enough votes to override a veto by the President.

Mr Miller insisted that Congress granted the President (pictured) a wide berth under the National Emergencies Act to take action. But Mr Trump’s declaration goes beyond previous emergencies in shifting money after Congress blocked his wall-funding request.

Mr Trump’s aides acknowledge that the President cannot meet his pledge to build the wall by the time voters decide whether to grant him another term next year, but insist his base will remain by his side as long as he is not perceived to have given up the fight.

Democrat Senator Chris Coons said Congress needed to act to “defend” its powers of the purse. “I do think that we should not set the terrible precedent of letting a President declare a national emergency simply as a way of getting around Congress,” he said.