After the US House of Representatives, the Senate has now voted to end the National Emergency declared by President Trump. The last word, however, presumably remains with the president.
The US Senate has voted against the US border emergency called by US President Donald Trump. At the end of February, the Democratic-led House of Representatives voted against the regulation. Due to the emergency, Trump had wanted to receive the necessary funds for the planned border wall. He can veto the vote of both chambers.
Trump wants to veto
In the vote in the Senate had 59 MPs for the end of the emergency, 41 voted against. Thus, twelve republicans spoke out against the state of emergency, only so could the quorum against the declaration of Trump even be achieved. But even before the Senate meeting Trump had announced his veto, should the decision against his declaration of calamity fail. He tweeted this announcement after the MEPs voted.
This veto could only be counteracted by a two-thirds majority in the US Senate. But with the majority of Republicans on the panel, that’s extremely unlikely.
Before the vote Trump had warned the senators from their own republican ranks against voting for the end of the emergency. Any vote against the emergency was a vote for the head of the Democrat, Nancy Pelosi, for crime and for open borders, wrote Trump on Twitter. He also stressed that legal experts had classified his declaration of default as constitutional. Pelosi, however, had repeatedly criticized the state of emergency as unconstitutional.
Controversy is about money for border wall
Trump had proclaimed the National Emergency on February 15th. This was preceded by a long dispute with the Democrats over the passing of the US budget. In it, Trump had planned $ 5.7 billion for the construction of a border wall to Mexico. The Wall is needed because there is a „humanitarian crisis“ on the border with Mexico, Trump justifies his plan and alludes to the refugees who immigrate across the Mexican border to the United States.
But sovereignty over the budget in the United States is subject to Congress. And he did not agree with Trump’s estimate. He granted $ 1.375 billion to upgrade the border facilities to Mexico. Due to the National Emergency, Trump has the right to tap into other financial pots to raise money for the Wall – such as the Defense Department, which was actually meant for construction and anti-drug purposes.
