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

(Image credit: OZAN KOSE / Getty Images)

published 15 February 2019

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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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.

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