GOP Sen. Thom Tillis frets over potential national emergencies under Democratic presidents

In the wake of President Trump's national emergency declaration, some congressional Republicans are already fearing the precedent he has set.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) outlined these concerns in a statement Friday, criticizing Trump's "executive overreach" and saying that this will "create a new precedent that a left-wing president would undoubtedly utilize to implement their radical policy agenda."

In fact, Tillis took Republicans through a few specific hypothetical scenarios, imagining that President Bernie Sanders would declare a national emergency to "implement a radical Green New Deal," President Elizabeth Warren would do so to "shut down the banks," and President Cory Booker would "effectively end Second Amendment rights." The senator says it's "clear what kind of rabbit hole our country can go down" if national emergencies become the norm.

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Tillis' argument has been a common one in Republican circles over the past few weeks, with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) warning members of his party last month that if the national emergency is the border today, "tomorrow, the national security emergency might be climate change," per Vox.

But Trump's decision is hardly earning universal condemnation from Republicans, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) saying that he stands "firmly behind" Trump's decision and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) saying Trump's actions were simply "the predictable and understandable consequence of Democrats' decision to put partisan obstruction ahead of the national interest."