GOP congressman ominously warns Trump not to declare a national emergency over the wall
As President Trump continues to float the idea of declaring a national emergency to secure wall funding, one member of his party is publicly warning him to steer clear.
Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) spoke with CNN's Don Lemon after Trump's address Tuesday night and said that "we didn't see anything new" in the speech, but there was one "bright spot" in his eyes. That, he said, was the fact that Trump didn't declare a national emergency in an attempt to fund the wall without Congress, as some had expected him to do.
"Had he done that, it would have been a gross abuse of power," Hurd said, Mediaite reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Hurd will likely be distressed to learn, then, that Trump is still considering the option, with White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders saying Wednesday it remains "on the table." But Hurd isn't the only member of the party who fears Trump will take this step, as a number of other congressional Republicans expressed opposition to a national emergency declaration Tuesday, The Washington Post writes. CNN's Manu Raju reports that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday declined twice to say whether he thinks it's a good idea.
Watch Hurd's comments on CNN below. Brendan Morrow
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Pope urges climate action, unity at Jakarta mosque
Speed Read The pope and the mosque's top cleric signed a joint declaration encouraging religious tolerance and climate change action
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Teen kills 4 in Georgia high school shooting
Speed Read A student shot and killed two classmates and two teachers at Apalachee High School
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
DOJ charges 2 Russians for funding US far-right media
Speed Read Russia is running disinformation campaigns to influence US politics ahead of the 2024 election, officials say
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
A brief history of third parties in the US
In Depth Though none of America's third parties have won a presidential election, they have nonetheless had a large impact on the country's politics
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Netanyahu makes controversial address
Speed Reads Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress denounced Gaza war protestors
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Menendez convicted of bribery, fraud, and extortion
Speed Read The New Jersey Democratic Senator was found guilty in a federal corruption trial
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Florida judge dismisses Trump documents case
Speed Read Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that special counsel Jack Smith was improperly appointed
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Hamas says military chief survived Israeli strike
Speed Read An Israeli bombing failed to hit its intended target, military commander Mohammed Deif, but killed at least 90 Palestinians
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
First Israeli report on Oct. 7 finds 'severe mistakes and errors' in IDF response
Speed Reads Israeli military admits failures in response to deadly Hamas attack that triggered Gaza war
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published