Mitch McConnell Warns Trump That The Senate Will Oppose A Phony National Emergency

Last updated on February 3rd, 2019 at 01:59 pm

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who helped Donald Trump hold the government hostage over border wall funding, is sending signals that the Senate could break from the president if he declares an emergency to secure the money for the project.

According to The Washington Post, not only did McConnell reportedly tell Trump that declaring a phony emergency would divide Republicans, but he warned that the Senate could pass its own resolution in opposition to it.

The Post reported, “McConnell (R-Ky.) told Trump that Congress might end up passing a resolution disapproving the emergency declaration, the people said — which would force the president to contemplate issuing his first veto ever, in the face of opposition from his own party.”

The report notes that Trump seems to be heading toward an emergency declaration:

The majority leader’s comments to the president came amid rising GOP concerns over the fallout if Trump were to declare a national emergency that would allow him to circumvent Congress and use the military to build new stretches of wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump increasingly appears prepared to take that route, saying Friday that “I think there’s a good chance we’ll have to do that.”

Trump teased the possibility of making a definitive statement on the topic during his State of the Union address, telling reporters to watch the Tuesday speech closely. “I think you’ll find it very exciting,” the president said.

Trump’s standing has diminished significantly since the shutdown

Donald Trump‘s standing, even among Republicans, has diminished significantly since he chose to shut down the government for over a month, only to accept a deal without border wall funding that he could have taken on day one.

There is no appetite for a new Trump political stunt over the unpopular border wall proposal – whether it’s another government shutdown or a phony emergency declaration.

According to a recent poll from Politico/Morning Consult, 58 percent of voters oppose shutting down the government again over Trump‘s vanity wall. A majority – 51 percent – oppose declaring a national emergency over it.

If another shutdown happens, the same survey shows that 54 percent of the country would hold Trump and Republicans responsible.

In other words, Republicans in Congress see the writing on the wall. If Trump decides to inflict more pain on the country over his border wall, they are sending clear signals that they won’t go to the mat for him.

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.