Senate votes 59-41 to block national emergency, setting it up for Trump veto
The Senate voted 59-41 on Thursday to block President Trump's national emergency declaration, sending it to Trump's desk for a likely veto.
After Trump declared a national emergency to get the funds for his border wall, House Democrats introduced and overwhelmingly passed a resolution to overturn it. All Senate Democrats voted for the resolution, as well as 12 Senate Republicans, who largely feared the precedent a national emergency would set for a potential Democratic president.
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Republicans largely debated the constitutionality of Trump's move and said they feared a Democratic president might declare a national emergency for their own priorities, such as climate change. Still, neither the House nor the Senate secured a two-thirds majority they'd need to overturn Trump's probable veto of the bill.
Trump has long claimed there is an ongoing "crisis" on the southern border and demanded a border wall to curb immigration through Mexico. His refusal to back down from a desired $5.7 billion to build the wall sparked a five-week-long government shutdown, but he eventually relented to a bill with less funding before declaring the national emergency to seize the rest.
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