WH Says Trump Ready to Veto Resolution Against Emergency Declaration

TEHRAN (defapress)- White House senior adviser Stephen Miller on Sunday strongly signaled that President Donald Trump will issue a veto if lawmakers approve a measure to block his emergency declaration to secure funding for a wall along the Southern border.

News ID: 75694

Date: 18 February 2019 - 14:45

"Obviously the president is going to protect his national emergency declaration," Miller said on "Fox New Sunday".

Asked whether that meant Trump was prepared to veto Congress, Miller reiterated that Trump is "going to protect his national emergency resolution, guaranteed."

Trump on Friday declared a national emergency to bypass Congress and spend roughly $8 billion on barriers along the southern border.

The move has already drawn a flurry of lawsuits. Lawmakers from both parties have pushed back against the declaration, arguing that it sets a poor precedent and questioning the existence of an emergency at the border.

House Democrats have announced that they will introduce a resolution that would block the declaration. It's unclear how many Republican critics of the president's action will vote for the measure.

If the bill were to pass both chambers of Congress, it could set up Trump to issue the first veto of his presidency.

Miller on Sunday staunchly defended the president's right to declare an emergency, arguing that he has the constitutional power to do so, and that the issue of illegal immigration warrants executive action.

"This is a deep intellectual problem that is plaguing this city," Miller said, adding, "Which is we've had thousands of Americans die year after year after year because of threats crossing our southern border."

"This is a threat in our country … and if the president can’t defend this country, then he cannot fulfill his constitutional oath of office," he stressed.

Miller was unable to cite another example of a president using emergency powers to secure funding after Congress had denied money through the appropriations process after anchor Chris Wallace pressed him for one repeatedly.

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