Congress passed a spending bill on Thursday with a veto-proof majority, sending the bill the president’s desk. Trump signaled he will declare a national emergency to build the wall.
The House passed the spending bill, 300-128, featuring strong Democrat support for the bill and mixed Republican support. The spending bill contains $1.3 billion in wall funding. The Senate passed the spending bill earlier on Thursday, 83-16.
Congress quickly moved to pass the bill after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) spoke with President Trump, wherein Trump said that he will sign the spending bill and declare a national emergency to build the wall along the southern border. McConnell said that he supports the move to declare the national emergency.
Breitbart News Legal Editor Ken Klukowski urged the president in an op-ed to check every single word in the spending bill to assure that the legislation would not prevent him from using his executive authority to build the wall.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-NC) declared his full support for President Trump’s executive authority to build a wall along the southern border.
Meadows and Freedom Caucus co-founder Jim Jordan (R-OH) voted against the spending bill.
“Democrats’ refusal to negotiate has rendered Congress inept at doing its job to protect Americans,” Meadows said. “At this point, POTUS is absolutely right to use constitutional executive action authority to build the wall and secure our border. This is a national emergency. I fully support him.”
Democrats’ refusal to negotiate has rendered Congress inept at doing its job to protect Americans. At this point POTUS is absolutely right to use constitutional executive action authority to build the wall and secure our border. This is a national emergency. I fully support him.
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) February 14, 2019
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) backed President Trump’s use of executive authority in a statement on Thursday.
“We face a humanitarian and national security crisis at the border that must be addressed. This funding bill is a critical step in the right direction, and I support the President in declaring a national emergency,” McCarthy said.
We face a humanitarian and national security crisis at the border that must be addressed. This funding bill is a critical step in the right direction, and I support the President in declaring a national emergency. My full statement: pic.twitter.com/mMV1YQI2Dc
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) February 14, 2019
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) threatened to sue President Trump if he were to declare a national emergency. Pelosi said that Trump “is doing an end run around Congress.”
Pelosi said, “It’s important to note that when the president declares this emergency, first of all, it’s not an emergency, what’s happening at the border.”
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