House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said in a statement on Friday that the House will vote on March 26th on overriding Trump’s first veto.
Pelosi called President Trump’s veto of the resolution terminating his emergency declaration a “lawless power grab” and said Trump has “chosen to continue to defy the Constitution, Congress and the will of the American people.”
The President’s declaration of a national emergency to secure border wall funding by tapping into funds allocated to different projects from the Pentagon is completely lawful — it’s a statute that was passed by Congress, but leave it to Pelosi to lie and obfuscate in her statement.
Pelosi continued, “On March 26, the House will once again act to protect our Constitution and our democracy from the President’s emergency declaration by holding a vote to override his veto.”
President Trump tweeted, “VETO!” moments after the Senate voted to block his national emergency declaration to secure funding for the border wall.
The Senate voted on Thursday to block President Trump’s national emergency declaration in a 59-41 vote.
Twelve Republicans voted with Democrats to pass the measure.
On Friday, President Trump signed his first presidential veto in the Oval office.
Attorney General Bill Barr sided with President Trump.
Barr said the president “absolutely” has the right to declare a national emergency on the southern border there. He says the veto is the right thing to do. And the declaration will hold up in a court of law.
“Mr. President your declaration of an emergency on the southern border was clearly authorized under the law and consistent with past precedent… The humanitarian and security crisis that we currently have right now on the border is exactly the type of emergency that presidents are permitted to address,” Attorney General Bill Barr said on Friday.
Pelosi holding a House vote to override Trump’s veto is most likely a ‘show vote’ because it would require a two-thirds vote in each Chamber to override the President’s veto.
Only 13 House Republicans voted with Democrats last month to pass the measure and 12 Senate Republicans voted this week with the Dems in support of the resolution to block Trump’s national emergency declaration.
