President Donald Trump's call for an emergency to have his Mexico border wall built was met with a staggering amount of resistance from both government agencies and the public. Now, the House of Representatives has formally declined the president's call and passed new legislation that basically rejects it. The House also ignored all veto threats against it and proceeded with terminating the emergency that was declared to build Trump's wall.
The new resolution was passed through a 245-182 vote. However, the legislation will still have to be voted on in the mostly Republican-controlled Senate. Despite its dominance in the Senate, some Republicans are now showing signs of resistance in allowing the emergency to be declared. As of the moment, only 13 Republicans have declared their support to put a stop to the emergency declaration. Republican Senator John Barrasso mentioned during the House voting that he was somewhat confident that the legislation would pass the Senate.
Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro, the main sponsor of the legislation, mentioned at the floor debate that there was clearly no emergency at the border and that illegal border crossings have actually dropped significantly over the past few years. Trump's declaration also presented a problem with both Democrats and Republicans as it was construed by some as a move to shift the balance of power to the executive branch's favor.
When asked about his take on the new legislation and whether or not it would pass the Senate, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to comment on the possible outcome. If the legislation does pass, the White House has already informed Congress that Trump's advisors will likely advice the president to veto the new legislation. A veto by Trump would be the first one for his administration and it would be very hard for Congress to override it. To successfully override a president's veto, a two-thirds vote from both chambers is required.
Trump had previously stated that he had the right to call a national emergency, which will allow him to tap the government's existing funds to build his wall. In defense of Trump's emergency proclamation, the White House also released a statement mentioning that the situation at the southern border is a national and security crisis, which is threatening the country's core national security interests.
Over 16 States have already launched a lawsuit against the president and his administration in an attempt to block his emergency proclamation. Meanwhile, protesters have gathered around the Trump International Hotel & Towers in New York to protest the president's declaration of a national emergency.
