Democrats on Tuesday pushed unprecedented legislation in order to block Trump’s national emergency declaration to allocate billions of additional dollars to his southern border wall, raising the prospect that Trump might issue his first-ever veto to curb this effort, Fox News informed.
All the Democrats voted in favor of this bill and they were joined by 13 Republicans.
This vote marked the first time the House or Senate has attempted to block a presidential declaration of a national emergency, using the provisions of the National Emergencies Act of 1976.
If House republicans decide to back this legislation, a two-thirds supermajority in both the Senate and House would be needed to override Trump’s veto. The White House announced a formal veto threat Tuesday ahead of the House vote, building up pressure on Republicans to stay in party’s lines.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has stated that three Senate Republicans already claimed that they will support the bill, so only one more is needed for adopting the measure and sending it to Trump.
“When you see the vote today there will be nowhere near the votes to override a veto,” House GOP Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., told reporters.
Even many GOP lawmakers who have viewed themselves as protectors of Congress’ power of the purse said they would defer to Trump in this case, saying he has the authority under the mid-1970s emergencies statute.
“They love Trump in my district,” said Rep. Billy Long, R-Mo. “I’m for Trump.”
Democratic leaders stated that the vote was not about the merits of Trump’s wall but how Trump was trampling on the Constitution by stealing money from other sectors, which he could not get through the usual means.
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