If Trump tries to declare a national emergency to build his wall, Democrats are already preparing legal challenges.
NBC’s Kristen Welker reported on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports, “The two sides can’t even agree upon how the talks that have already unraveled have gone. President trump over the weekend saying they were productive and the Democrats firing back saying they weren’t productive. So where do things stand? The president is demanding $5 billion for a border wall, and he now says it can be steel instead of concrete. It’s not clear if Democrats are asking for that as a concession. They say a border wall is a non-starter and they say that his threat to potentially issue a national emergency and send troops to the border is also a nonstarter and something that will undoubtedly face legal challenges, Andrea.”
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Democrats will immediately sue Trump is he tries to declare a national emergency to build his wall. https://t.co/uqewYKtuI3 pic.twitter.com/y3liUaM1sN
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— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 7, 2019
Democrats aren’t going to sit back and let Trump declare a national emergency to build his wall. Democrats have already told Trump that his wall whether it is made of steel or concrete is a no go. Trump is going to the border on Thursday to sell his wall as a national emergency. The president is laying the groundwork for trying to build his wall by declaring a national emergency, but Democrats are ready to haul Trump into court and get an injunction blocking him from moving forward.
The House would have legal standing to challenge Trump because they are the first step in appropriating or moving any funds that would be used to build the wall. Trump is likely to lose in court because there are clear criteria that must be met for a president to declare a national emergency.
Wanting a wall is not one of those criteria.
Nancy Pelosi has sued presidents before and won, so if Trump tries to play this game with her, he better be prepared to lose in court.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
