Posted on 02/21/2019 12:22:49 PM PST by jazusamo
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Thursday that Democrats will introduce a resolution to block President Trump's emergency declaration to construct the U.S.-Mexico border wall.
"Identical companion legislation to the House resolution will soon be introduced in the Senate," Schumer said in a statement.
House Democrats, with the backing of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), are expected to file their resolution as soon as Friday.
The Senate, which convened for roughly a minute earlier Thursday, is out of town until Monday afternoon, making that day the earliest Democrats could file a resolution in that chamber.
Trump announced last Friday that he would declare a national emergency to construct the wall after Congress included only $1.375 billion for physical barriers along the border in a government funding bill well below the $5.7 billion the president requested.
A resolution blocking Trump's move only needs a simple majority in both chambers to get to the president's desk, where White House officials have suggested he would use his first veto since taking over the Oval Office.
Democrats, and some Republicans, argue that Trump is violating the separation of powers by using an emergency declaration to leapfrog Congress after not getting the votes to get the amount of wall funding that he wants.
If the presidents emergency declaration prevails, it will fundamentally change the balance of powers in a way our countrys founders never envisioned. That should be a serious wake up call to senators in both parties who believe in the constitutional responsibility of Congress to limit an overreaching executive," Schumer said. "This issue transcends partisan politics, and I urge all senators Democrats and Republicans to support this resolution to terminate the presidents emergency declaration when it comes up for a vote in the Senate," he added.
Democrats have also seized on Trump's comments from Friday, where he said he didn't "need" to declare an emergency at the border, but did so because he wanted to build the wall faster.
If all 47 Democrats vote for the resolution to block Trump's emergency declaration, they will still need to flip four Republican senators.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) became the first Republican senator to say she would support a "clean" resolution of disapproval.
"I don't know what the vote situation will be in the Senate, nor do I know exactly what that resolution will say but it is a privileged matter. That means that it will come before the Senate for a vote, and if it's a clean disapproval resolution, I will support it," she told reporters in Maine on Wednesday.
Several other Republican senators have raised concerns about Trump's actions but stopped short of saying how they will vote.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said late last week that she didnt think that this is a matter that should be declared a national emergency.
And Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said in a statement after Trump's announcement that the decision was "unwise" because of the precedent it set for future presidents.
"It is inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution because after the American Revolution against a king, our founders chose not to create a chief executive with the power to tax the people and spend their money any way he chooses," he said. "The Constitution gives that authority exclusively to a Congress elected by the people.
Dems need to remember this: “He’s a got a Phone and Pen!”
Gee... ain’t karma a b*tch?
Remember this, any Republican who comes to you with this resolution, hes a traitor, and don’t forget it.
Like it’ll get 67 Senate votes.
If the senate fails to pass this bill, or they fail to override Trump’s Veto, won’t they have undercut their legal argument that he went around Congress?
Any Republican in either house that signs this needs to be primaried.
The commies and others trying to weaken and tear this country apart never miss an opportunity to sheit on us more.
So hopefully they play the Democrat game - refuse to allow consideration on cloture rules. So they need 60 votes, not 50.
That is how they blocked the Wall in the first place.
If any repubs vote with the dems I hope we know who they are?
It will be close, something like 9-10 Republicans are supporting it.
Bump!
Who would have thought that winning World War 2 and putting a man on the Moon was so much easier than Enforcing Existing Immigration Law.
Lets wrap this Freepathon up, Folks!
At this point I would like nothing more than for the Republican Party to commit suicide. Go ahead guys.
Ok, Nancy and Chuckie, explain to everyone why border landscaping is bad.
Go ahead.
Facts please.
Not Democrat propaganda.
And Trump will VETO it..so have fun losers..boy these a-holes really want their open borders badly dont they..all for votes of course..gotta get MILLIONS of new Dems in this country
Good point...The Rats are going all out for open borders and votes, legal or not and a few RINOs support them. Pathetic.
You’re right on!
If they were getting money from the drug trade, Trump better reveal it soon. Until that happens, they win.
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