Posted on 03/26/2019 11:39:16 AM PDT by gattaca
House Democrats on Tuesday failed to garner the votes needed to override Trumps veto of a bill blocking his emergency border wall funding.
Only a handful of Republicans crossed the aisle to vote with Democrats on the 248-181 vote. That deprived the measure of the two-thirds majority needed to revoke Trumps February emergency declaration that authorized him to move $3.6 billion in military funds to a southern border wall project.
The defeat, which was widely anticipated, kills the effort in Congress to block Trumps wall funding grab, but numerous court challenges to the declaration are now pending and could ultimately stop the president.
Inside the Magazine: March 26 Watch Full Screen to Skip Ads Democrats accused the president of violating the Constitution, which provides Congress with the power to appropriate federal funds.
The bottom line is that this emergency declaration is nothing more than an end run around a bipartisan majority of both the House and the Senate, in complete disregard of our Constitutional separation of powers, Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the national emergency declaration a lawless power grab that both Republicans and Democrats oppose.
Both Republicans and Democrats said they opposed Trump moving funds lawmakers assigned to the military construction budget.
Most Republicans, however, agreed with Trumps reasoning that the surge in illegal immigration on the southern border constitutes a crisis that could be abated with new border wall construction. And most in the GOP believe the National Emergencies Act provided him with the power to shift that funding.
Republicans on Tuesday pointed to the tens of thousands of illegal immigrants apprehended at the border every month, the influx of illegal drugs, and the increase in gang violence perpetuated by illegal immigrants as the legitimate rationale for Trumps action.
Hes very clearly laid out the case for the declaration of a national emergency, Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., said. There is a crisis at the border.
Democrats argued the border wall is ineffective and that the surge on the border is a humanitarian crisis and not a national emergency requiring more physical barriers.
Illegal drugs, they argued, are smuggled by water or through other official ports of entry.
The Senate cleared a measure earlier last month terminating the national emergency after it passed the House. In both chambers, about a dozen Republicans voted with Democrats.
Trump quickly vetoed the measure, which was the first of his presidency.
The veto override measure will not be taken up in the Senate.
But Senate Republicans, who control the majority in the upper chamber, are working on legislation to rein in the act, written in 1976. Many lawmakers believe it cedes too much authority to the executive branch.
So now the Senate Republicans are concerned with a POTUS making too many acts. Idiots.
Well that is it as far as facts and law go - the wall is getting built.
Only a corrupt judge can help the Dems sabotage the Nation now...
Bump
And, since for 28 years prior to POTUS Trump taking office, we've had liberal presidents stacking the courts with treasonous judges. This could be interesting if it weren't so catastrophic.
By my count that's a quadruple negative.
Congress had its say. Makes it hard for a federal judge to argue the executive cant declare a national emergency when Congress implicitly approved it by sustaining his veto.
Its done.
Instead Judicial watch got an extra $ 75.00 to help their cause.
Senate Republicans..just proving what dumb asses they really are..gee didnt hear them complain when Obama gave BILLIONS of our tax dollars in the middle of the night to IRAN
Makes perfect sense. Because the enemy's attacking on the right, there's no need to defend against the enemy's attack on the left.
BUILD KATE’S WALL
Congress abrogated many of its duties to the executive branch over the course of several decades. Now it wants to claim its constitutional duties back? Change the law then, dipsticks!
I refuse to vote for him.
IN THE NEA ACT OF 76, I don’t see role for the courts. The people through their elected representatives just spoke in the congress. That was THE check and balance on the president. No role for the judiciary and i hope trump will say so.
You can’t have an emergency and then let it filter thru the judicial system at the whim of a judge or panel of judges. Imagine doing that in world war 2 or major storm etc.
that’s why Trump made 2 promises: the wall and to stack the courts with right-minded judges. There’s a big reason why he has Graham keep RUSHING for confirmation these judges to the circuit courts as MOST are Bush and Clinton judges that are retirement age..
the wall can broken down but the judges are there to do damage for many years to come..
trump called hillary a criminal for 18 months, that is an implied obligation to imprison her. Another promise.
They knew they didn’t have the two-thirds to override when they passed it in the first place.
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