Eleven GOP senators voted to cancel President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national border emergency and his subsequent transfer of agency funding to build the border wall.
This 54 to 41 vote was not about the border wall, but whether “the Congress of the United States of America should yield its constitutionally prescribed power of the purse to the President,” said Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins.
“The answer to that question, regardless of who is in the White House … should be no,” Collins continued. “Congress alone is empowered by the constitution to adopt laws directing money from the U.S. Treasury.”
The president “stole” the money, and “I will not stand for that,” said Vermont Democrat Sen. Patrick Leahy. The president took the funding from other projects, such as the replacement of older schools at military bases, said Leahy, who is the top Democrat on the appropriations panel.
Senators should vote against the resolution because “there is no Earthly reason why Democrats would force us to have one or the other,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
Pirro faces grand jury problem as DC residents refuse to indict anti-Trump suspects
Minnesota already passed a slate of gun control laws before Tim Walz’s calls for more
Federal appeals court approves Illinois restrictions on carrying guns on public transit
Trump ‘giving serious thought’ to revoking Rosie O’Donnell’s US citizenship
20 years later: Survivors recall the storm that changed the gulf coast
Trump asks Supreme Court for urgent ruling on tariff powers as ‘stakes could not be higher’
DC National Guard troop deployment extended through December
Pro-life group urges Senate to press RFK Jr. on abortion pill safety, demand safeguards return
US bolsters military presence in Caribbean near Venezuela amid Trump’s efforts to halt drug trafficking
Ogles says Trump should be eligible for third term as president
Clinton and Kennedy heirs weigh in on running for Nadler’s New York seat
Legal Hurdles Texas Will Face in Introducing Ten Commandments and Prayer Back in Schools
At least 15 dead after streetcar derails in Portuguese tourist hotspot
Mother of Texas girl allegedly killed by illegal immigrants backs Trump military crackdown on cartels
Melania’s Advice to Donald Resurfaces and Looks Wiser Than Ever
“The joint resolution is passed,” Utah Sen. Mitt Romney announced from the Senate’s chair.
The 11 GOP senators who voted against the emergency and the wall included Collins, Romney, retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander (TN), along with Sens. Roy Blunt (MO), Mike Lee (UT), Jerry Moran (KS), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Rand Paul (KY), Rob Portman (OH), Pat Toomey (PA), and Roger Wicker (MS).
Collins spoke during the brief debate and vote, saying she supported additional construction at the border.
Several GOP senators declined to vote.
Trump will likely veto the resolution, and the 54 votes in favor are not enough to overcome the president’s veto.
Trump announced the emergency in February after Democrats blocked the funding for the border wall. Trump’s emergency declaration uses powers that prior Congresses voted to give to the president.
Story cited here.