Following the Senate’s lead, the House of Representatives blocked President Donald Trump’s efforts to declare a national emergency and divert military funds to build his long-promised southern border wall.
The resolution passed on a 236-174 vote in the Democratic-controlled House with support from 11 Republicans and one independent voter. On Wednesday, the Senate approved the resolution on a 54-41 vote, which also had 11 Republicans cross the aisle to vote with the Democrats.
It will now head to the president’s desk where it will likely be vetoed like Trump did to a similar measure back in March that aimed to end the emergency declaration. Trump has used his veto power to block congressional legislation six times as president, according to CNBC.
Trump originally said Mexico would fund the border wall before setting his sights on taxpayer funds with his national emergency declaration in February. The Trump administration is trying to siphon $3.6 billion out of military funding that was planned for schools and daycare centers on U.S. military bases around the world, which has received some push back.
But the larger issue may be the precedent this would set for future presidential power, which Senate Minority Leader Chuch Schumer, D-N.Y., warned of earlier this month.
“This issue rises to a large and vital constitutional issue,” Schumer said. “Does our country truly have checks and balances, particularly when we have such an overreaching president? We all must consider the dangerous precedent that would set.”
House Appropriations Chair Nita Lowey, a Democrat also representing New York, addressed the House before the vote, calling it a last-ditch effort to get around the power of Congress, according to the website Roll Call. She also said that if the national emergency declaration goes through, Congress will not act to reimburse Pentagon accounts that the border wall funds would be drawn from.
“The president chose his wall over our national security and the needs of our servicemembers and their families,” Lowey said.
