(CNSNews.com) – A one-page resolution blocking President Trump’s national emergency declaration now goes to the Senate.
On Tuesday, the Democrat-led House passed the measure on a 245-182 vote. Thirteen Republicans joined all Democrats in voting to block Trump’s declaration that the situation at the Southwest border constitutes a national emergency.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told a news conference on Tuesday that “it would be reasonable to assume” that the resolution will come up for a vote “before the next Senate recess period.”
McConnell said Senate Republicans are now weighing whether the president’s emergency declaration is legal.
We had a very fulsome discussion of this issue in the conference at noon today with the vice president and with a lawyer from the Justice Department. It dominated the entire discussion about the–the legality, the appropriateness, and all the rest.
I think I can safely say my members were extremely interested in the subject, and I personally couldn’t handicap the outcome at this point. But, we will certainly be voting on it.
One thing that’s not in debate in our conference is–we really do think there’s a crisis at the border. It doesn’t seem to be any difference of opinion about that. There are different points of view about how to address that, and all of that will be dealt with publicly on the floor before we have the vote.
Speaking for himself, McConnell said, “I haven’t reached a total conclusion” about the legality of the president’s declaration. “You know, I wouldn’t go to me for a simple will. I did go to law school. But, we have some real serious lawyers in there discussing that very issue.
What is not in doubt is there really is a crisis at the border. And it seems to me our colleagues on the other side are in denial about that, and you can’t blame the president for trying to use whatever tool he thinks he has to address it.
“But, as of the moment, I couldn’t handicap the outcome of the vote. All I can tell you is it certainly will occur. We had a robust, vigorous discussion about all of that in our conference.”
At least three Republican senators (Collins, Murkowski, Tillis) are on record as opposing the president’s move, and several others are leaning in that direction.
President Trump has said he will veto the resolution if it reaches his desk, and it’s unlikely there will be enough votes in Congress to override his veto.
