Border declaration divides GOP
‘I wish he wouldn’t have done it,’ Grassley says
WASHINGTON – Donald Trump is entering the breach over presidential powers and taking fellow Republicans – some reluctant – with him.
Trump’s decision to declare a “national emergency” to help build a border wall comes over the objections of many congressional Republicans, and is perhaps the clearest sign yet of divisions within the GOP as it braces for the 2020 elections.
“I wish he wouldn’t have done it,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, echoing comments by GOP colleagues.
Republican misgivings about Trump’s order range from the moderate Susan Collins of Maine – “a mistake” – to the more libertarian Rand Paul of Kentucky, who tweeted that “extraconstitutional executive actions are wrong, no matter which party does them.”
Trump said congressional Republicans have moved too slowly on wall funding. Still, he predicted that most will support him, even as he appeared to blame the Republicans for what he considered a lack of funding for border security.
“People that should’ve stepped up did not step up,” Trump said.
While Trump acknowledged he will be sued over the emergency declaration – the American Civil Liberties Union announced its intention to sue Friday and nonprofit watchdog group Public Citizen did file later – Democrats plan to exploit Republican divisions.
Leaders of the Democratic-run House said they will likely try to pass a resolution of disapproval of Trump’s declaration of a national emergency on the border. Congressional rules would force the Republican-led Senate to vote on the measure as well, putting Trump’s nominal allies on the record.
“I know the Republicans have some unease about it, no matter what they say,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DCalif. In a tweet after the president’s announcement, Pelosi said she and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., “call upon our Republican colleagues to join us to defend the Constitution.”
Several Republicans have echoed Pelosi’s concerns: The idea that if Trump can declare a national emergency over a border wall, a future Democratic president can declare a national emergency on any number of his or her priorities, from gun control and climate change, to opioids
and immigration.
A vote on Trump’s declaration would be another sign of how deep Republican divisions might run, and how they may play out between now and the next election in November 2020.
“I don’t think anyone knows,” said Scott Jennings, an adviser to Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
If four Republican senators join all Democrats, a resolution of disapproval could get through the Congress. Trump would likely veto such legislation, though congressional Democrats could then mount an effort to override the veto, keeping the dispute in the political
spotlight.
Beyond Capitol Hill, some Republicans are urging GOP lawmakers to fight Trump. That group includes longtime critics who are contemplating primary runs against the incumbent president in 2020.
“The good news out of this unconstitutional power grab is it will split off some Republicans from this wannabe Franco,” tweeted John Weaver, a political strategist for former Ohio governor and possible Trump challenger John Kasich.
Republican angst in Congress seems fueled by the fact that Trump’s decision of a national emergency caught many of them by surprise.
Trump and his aides had stopped discussing the national security idea in recent days, after weeks of hearing objections from fellow Republicans. Instead, party members urged the president to sign a new spending bill designed to prevent another partial government shutdown, only three weeks after a record-setting 35-day shutdown.
Trump did not use the words “national emergency” during his political rally Monday in El Paso, Texas. Administration officials such as acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney had played down the idea, talking instead about plans to divert money from other budgets to finance the wall without a formal emergency declaration.
Things changed Thursday, amid worries that Trump might veto a new spending bill because it contained less than a third of the wall money he had demanded.
McConnell, who had urged Trump to forgo the emergency declaration, suddenly took to the Senate floor to announce what sounded like a deal with Trump: He would sign the spending bill to keep the government open, while McConnell would back the declaration.
“He has indicated he is prepared to sign the bill,” McConnell said. “He will also be issuing a national emergency declaration at the same time. I’ve indicated to him that I’m going to support the national emergency declaration.”
Many Republicans back Trump’s emergency plan. They also cited Democratic opposition to the wall, noting that many members of the opposition don’t want to spend any money at all on a border barrier.
If the courts block Trump’s bid to declare a national emergency, that could potentially reduce Republican tensions.
If the courts back Trump, the nature of presidential relations with Congress will change, even between presidents and their parties.
There have been signs of friction before during the up-and-down relationship between Trump, the maverick businessman who had never run for office before 2016, and his adopted Republican Party.
Congressional Republicans have pushed back on concerns that Trump might try to remove special counsel Robert Mueller over the Russia investigation. They have criticized Trump for his decision to remove troops from Syria and his attacks on NATO.
Some Republican analysts said the legal and political aspects of the situation make it hard to assess its long-term effects.
Texas-based political consultant Matt Mackowiak said Pelosi’s efforts to force a vote on the resolution “may divide the Republicans somewhat.”
After that, it’s anyone’s guess.
“This is a constitutional issue and a separation-of-powers issue,” Mackowiak said. “And it doesn’t break down neatly on party lines.”