In the most significant legislative rebuke of President Donald Trump to date, the Senate voted Thursday to terminate his emergency designation to build a border wall.
The 59-41 vote included 12 Republicans who crossed the president in order to advance the measure, which has already cleared the Democratic-run House.
That number of GOP supporters, which appeared to mushroom in the last 24 hours, was enough to easily insure passage, setting up what would be the first veto of Trump's presidency.
The measure would have the effect of terminating Trump's use of the National Emergencies Act to obtain funds to build a border wall – despite a standoff with Democrats during the government shutdown that resulted in Trump being denied the $5.7 billion he was requesting for that purpose.
However, supporters of the measure were short of the 67 votes needed to override the veto.
The vote came hours after Trump indicated lawmakers would have to go through him to end his border emergency. He said Thursday that he will use the power of his pen for the first time in his presidency.
Trump said he would veto a bipartisan resolution senators plan to pass today that would terminate his national emergency.
'It's really a border security vote. It's pure and simple, it's a vote for border security, it's a vote for no crime,' he argued from the Oval Office.
Trump said he would support legislation reining in executive power, if Republicans support his border emergency now, appearing to make a U-turn on a compromise solution a senator said the White House had rejected.
But it didn't matter. At least eight GOP senators, possibly more, planned to vote for the resolution of disapproval as lawmakers from his own party rebellec against his use of executive authority.
Four new Republicans joined the coalition on Thursday — Utah's Mitt Romney, Ohio's Rob Portman, Pennsylvania's Pat Toomey, Kansas' Jerry Moran and Tennessee's Lamar Alexander.
Donald Trump says he will veto a bipartisan resolution senators plan to pass today that would terminate his national emergency
Trump refused to back down, after a journalist asked if he was rethinking his emergency, insisting legislators did not have the votes to override him.
'No, no, I don't know what the vote will be. It doesn't matter, I'll probably have to veto. It's not going to be overturned,' he said.
Toomey told reporters in the Capitol Thursday that he was backing the effort because the subject had because the matter had already been settled during the government shutdown – even though he personally backed Trump's demand for $5.7 nillion in border wall funding.
'It's not at all an unreasonable amount,' said Toomey. 'But the process by which you do that matters. This issue was extensively litigated and adjudicated. We had a government shutdown over this, we eventually got a compromise, which I didn't' even support … but the president signed it,' he added.
Also joining the revolt was Sen. Roy Blunt if Missouri, a member of the Appropriations Committee, which derives its power from the ability to direct funding to projects.
Portman, an institutionalist who previously served as U.S. Trade Representative and White House budget director, announced on the Senate floor that he would vote to terminate the designation.
Portman says otherwise, some future Democratic president could use emergency powers to take down the border wall.
'It doesn't mean the president can ignore Congress and substitute his own judgment for the will of the people,' Portman said.
He said he didn't think the purpose of the National Emergenies Act was to 'circumvent what Congress and the president have agreed to through duly enacted legislation.'
'So I think the separation of powers is very important. So I think it was a mistake for the president to use this mechanism,' he added.
Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, who is supporting Trump's position on the vote, nevertheless suggested that the president should have tried to work through a compromise that would have curbed future use of emergency declarations.
'I was a little surprised that he didn't accept our suggestion about how to try to find some middle ground,' Kennedy told reporters.
'If you look at it from 30,000 feet … One branch of government is asking another branch to give up power. Nobody gives up power around here. People want power, they don't' want to give it up. So maybe it was a heavy ask.' But, Kennedy added: 'It's an issue that we should address.'
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, is supporting the effort to terminate the president's emergency declaration
Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer meanwhile called it a 'red-letter day in the history of how the United States functions' as he urged senators in prepared remarks to restrain Trump now.
Senators from his party proceeded to trash the president's emergency on the floor as an abuse of power.
Alexander also took the floor to announce his yes vote on the termination resolution.
'It is inconsistent with the United States Constitution that I took an oath to support and defend,' the retiring lawmaker said.
He said the founders intentionally gave the legislative branch the power of the purse after the Revolutionary War to keep the president from acting like a king.
'This check on the executive is a source of our freedom,' he said.
Allowing Trump to declare an emergency to build a wall that Congress refused to fund sets a 'dangerous precedent,' he argued in his Thursday morning speech.
The U.S. Senate will take up the emergency resolution this afternoon.
'I will vote to support the president's decision later today, and I will encourage our colleagues to do the same,' Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnnell announced from the floor.
With the test looming, Trump said, 'A big National Emergency vote today by The United States Senate on Border Security & the Wall (which is already under major construction). I am prepared to veto, if necessary. The Southern Border is a National Security and Humanitarian Nightmare, but it can be easily fixed!'
He seemed to suggest later that he would be willing to make a deal with Republicans balking at his emergency who'd pitched the vice president on a compromise two days prior.
McConnell advised senators who disagree with Trump to support legislation amending his emergency powers.
He suggested they examine how the National Emergencies Act can be updated to reflect those concerns.
'I hope they can report bipartisan solutions through the regular order that the full Senate can take up,' he said.
McConnell encouraged lawmakers to 'not lose sight' of the vote that is 'before us later today,' which he said was on a 'narrow question not especially a difficult.'
Trump told GOP senators Wednesday, as he attempted to quell the rebellion quit 'overthinking' his national emergency as they deliberated how to vote on a resolution rebuking him.
Trump says he told them to 'vote anyway you want, vote how you feel good' while cautioning that it will 'very bad thing for them long into the future' if they move to terminate it.
'I think anybody going against border security, drug trafficking human trafficking, that's a bad vote,' he warned on Wednesday.
President Trump told GOP senators to quit 'overthinking' his national emergency as they deliberated how to vote on a resolution rebuking him
He insisted the country has a 'MAJOR NATIONAL EMERGENCY' on the border and that's all they need to be considerin
A movement to curb executive authority was afoot as Republicans looked for an off-ramp on the eve of the emergency vote that put them on their first major collision course with the Republican Party leader.
Trump signaled he wasn't concerned enough to take them up on a deal to preserve his emergency in exchange for future limitations, however, noting at a White House briefing on drugs that he may have to exercise his first veto to protect it.
'We have a vote tomorrow on national emergency, we'll see whether or not I have to do the veto, and it will be, I think, all very successful regardless of how it all works out,' he stated.
Trump insisted early Wednesday afternoon on Twitter that the country has a 'MAJOR NATIONAL EMERGENCY' on the border and that's all senators need to be considering.
He claimed later, at his meeting on drug trafficking, that it is an 'urgent national crisis' his administration is 'doing many, many things' to combat, in addition to a wall.
He argued once again that the vote is not about about constitutionality, nor is it a vote on precedent.
'You should take a look at what President Obama did with DACA and with so many other things, that was no precedent,' he said. 'And I think most Republican senators fully understand that.'
In response to a query from a reporter, Trump denied a charge from Rand Paul that he was putting extreme pressure on senators to back him in the vote, saying, 'Nobody's beaten up, I said use your own discretion.'
Trump insisted that Democrats voting to terminate his resolution are for open borders and want drugs and crime to flow into the country unregulated.
'I guess they think its good politically. I happen to think it's bad politically,' he assessed. 'And the Republicans aren't, but I told Republican senators vote any way you want, vote how you feel good.'
A group of Republican senators pitched the vice president Tuesday on a deal to spare the president the embarrassment of having the border emergency voted down in the GOP-controlled Senate.
But one of them said after a meeting between Trump and senators from the party on Wednesday afternoon, that the White House had signaled there was no such deal to be had.
The offer involved the president backing a proposal that would limit his power to railroad Congress with future emergencies. They presented it as a way to preserve Trump's border crisis declaration and save him from having to exercise his first veto.
Republican senators put it to Mike Pence in a meeting he took at the request of Sen. Thom Tillis on Tuesday, a senior administration official told DailyMail.com. Pence pledged to take the deal back to the president but made no other commitments.
One of the proposals came from Sen. Mike Lee. His bill would cancel any future emergency that does not receive the approval of Congress within 30 days.
Lee's office said Wednesday afternoon that the White House 'had communicated it would not support' the bill that would 'reclaim legislative powers' from the executive branch.
'Unfortunately, it appears the bill does not have an immediate path forward, so I will be voting to terminate the latest emergency declaration,' Lee said in a corresponding statement. 'I hope this legislation will serve as a starting point for future work on this very important issue.'
Asked if the senator was rethinking his position, based on the president's new tweet suggesting he'd be willing to back legislation like Lee's, a spokesman told DailyMail.com on Thursday that the Republican lawmaker is still planning to vote yes on the termination resolution.
A group of Republican senators pitched the vice president on a deal to spare the president the embarrassment of having his national emergency voted down in the GOP -controlled Senate
Republican senators put it to Mike Pence in a meeting he took at the request of Sen. Thom Tillis (pictured) a source said
The White House has not commented directly on the offer.
Trump said prior to a Wednesday meeting with Republican senators, 'I'll have to take a look at what they present. They are coming over in a little while to present something.'
'But we're in very good shape, in terms of the money and in terms of the national emergency,' the president said.
His tweet suggesting he'd back the legislation never directly mentioned Lee, either.
Lee's bill was gaining sponsors on Wednesday, with prominent Republican senators like Chuck Grassley and John Cornyn signing on.
President Trump assailed Democrats on Twitter in the meantime for backing 'open borders' and 'crime' as he used Twitter to rally support for his declaration.
'Republican Senators are overthinking tomorrow's vote on National Emergency. It is very simply Border Security/No Crime - Should not be thought of any other way,' he tweeted. 'We have a MAJOR NATIONAL EMERGENCY at our Border and the People of our Country know it very well!' he tweeted.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had also sought to deflate Lee's effort to save Trump's emergency on Wednesday when she put out a statement calling his bill a nonstarter.
'Republican Senators are proposing new legislation to allow the President to violate the Constitution just this once in order to give themselves cover,' she said. 'The House will not take up this legislation to give President Trump a pass.'
Trump said this week that he needs roughly $8.6 billion to complete his border structure, in addition to the money the national emergency will provide him.
He says he cobbled together $8 billion so far from previous appropriations. He won't get it from Democrats in Congress and may have kneecapped himself by agreeing to new restraints on his emergency powers like the ones that Lee wanted.
One of the proposals came from Sen. Mike Lee. He is pushing legislation that would end future national emergencies unless Congress votes to approve them within 30 days
The president still runs the risk of having his border emergency overturned, although it seemed less likely on Wednesday evening that Democrats would have the votes to override a veto.
Opponents of the emergency have the votes to pass a resolution terminating it. They do not currently have a veto-proof majority of 66 Senate votes.
Up to a dozen Republicans could break with the president on the emergency, Republican senators have said.
So far, ten have said they said they will not bail out Trump: Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis, Rob Portman Alexander, Moran, Romney, Paul and Lee, although Tillis appeared to wavering on Wednesday as he considered his options.
It's more than enough support for the resolution of disapproval to pass.
Chief White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a Monday briefing that the president has been in contact with lawmakers about the emergency in advance of the vote, but she did not identify them and did not elaborate on their discussions.
She argued that the president has the 'authority' to call an emergency and is doing what is 'necessary' to protect the border.
'Let's not forget, the only reason he has the authority to call a national emergency is because Congress gave him the right to do so,' she said in response to a question from DailyMail.com.
Sanders asserted: 'They failed to do their job. The President is fulfilling his duty, and he's going to make sure he does what is necessary to protect the people of this country and secure our borders.'
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2019/03/14/senate-votes-59-41-to-repeal-trumps-declaration-of-an-emergency-at-the-border/
Main photo article In the most significant legislative rebuke of President Donald Trump to date, the Senate voted Thursday to terminate his emergency designation to build a border wall.
The 59-41 vote included 12 Republicans who crossed the president in order to advance the measure, which has already cleared the...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/03/14/15/10988060-0-image-a-11_1552577861347.jpg
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