Trump Emergency.docx

Trump promises to veto senate decision to annul ‘emergency’

Washington: The U.S. Senate on Thursday rebuked President Donald Trump by voting to end his border emergency declaration, as 12 Republicans joined Democrats to deliver a second blow in as many days to the president, who quickly pledged a veto. The 59-41 vote was a bipartisan repudiation of Trump’s decision to circumvent Congress and take money already designated for other programs and redirect it to pay for his U.S.-Mexico border wall, which he promised to build during his 2016 campaign.

In the first two years of his term, the Republican-led Congress mostly accommodated Trump, which spared him from having to use his veto pen. With Republicans showing increased willingness to defy him, Trump promised a change.

“VETO!” he tweeted shortly after the vote.

The vote on Thursday marked back-to-back defeats for Trump in the Republican-controlled Senate. On Wednesday, senators approved a resolution seeking to end U.S. support for a Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the war in Yemen, rejecting Trump’s policy toward the kingdom.

“Today’s votes cap a week of something the American people haven’t seen enough of in the last two years,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told reporters. “My hope is that this past week isn’t an aberration, but a turning point.”

A House of Representatives leadership aide said there would likely be a vote to attempt to override Trump’s promised veto on March 26 after lawmakers return from a one-week recess.

The measure is unlikely to become law as there are enough Republicans in the House and Senate to sustain a Trump veto, which requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override. The issue could ultimately be decided by the courts.