Wednesday, 24 Apr 2024

House Fails to Override Trump Veto, Preserving National Emergency Order

WASHINGTON — The House on Tuesday failed to overturn President Trump’s first veto, leaving the declaration of a national emergency at the southwestern border intact despite bipartisan passage of a resolution nullifying the president’s circumvention of Congress to fund his border wall.

Despite concerns about the constitutional separation of powers and the impact of Mr. Trump’s move on local military projects, only 14 Republicans joined Democrats in voting to override the veto, one more Republican than the 13 who voted for the resolution of disapproval last month. The 248-181 vote fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to kill the national emergency declaration.

Republicans in both chambers had joined Democrats in passing the resolution just weeks ago, voicing discomfort over the president’s intent to divert funding to the construction of a border wall at the border without congressional approval.

The president, issuing the first veto of his administration, called the resolution “dangerous,” “reckless” and a “vote against reality.”

Democrats had hoped that the publication of all the military construction projects that could see funding delays as Mr. Trump pursued wall money would sway their Republican colleagues, framing the vote as one that would protect Congress’s constitutional prerogative to dictate federal spending and protect key military projects in their districts.

But Mr. Trump is not likely to tap military construction funds any time soon. The political fight over the national emergency declaration now turns to the courts, where a number of states have joined lawsuits challenging the legal merits of the order.

Source: Read Full Article

Related Posts