Washington, DC – The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) applauded the passage of the House of Representatives resolution to overturn the national emergency declaration issued by President Donald Trump earlier this month. FCNL urges the Senate to approve a similar resolution as soon as possible.
Contact: Tim McHugh, Friends Committee on National Legislation, media@fcnl.org; 202-903-2515
“No one was ever fooled into believing in this so-called national emergency at the southern border,” said Diane Randall, FCNL’s executive secretary. “The House did what needed to be done today to reject executive overreach and unconstitutional executive actions. The power to appropriate money lies solely with the Congress, whether presidents like it or not.”
Today’s House vote was overwhelming, 245-182. It now moves to the Senate where a simple majority vote is needed to move the measure to the president’s desk. While no date has yet been finalized, the Senate must vote within the next 18 days.
“The Senate should now take a page from the House and vote to retain Congressional authority over taxpayer dollars. While there are serious issues along the border – separating children from their families and deploying troops to respond to a humanitarian crisis – none of them will be addressed in a meaningful way by the president’s national emergency declaration,” said Hannah Evans, FCNL’s policy representative for immigration and refugee policy.
The federal government currently spends $25 billion annually on border security. In the past two years, Congress has added $3 billion more to fund border militarization and build barriers. This month, a record 49,000 migrants were jailed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, paid for by money meant for the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“There is no lack of money for border security. There is, however, a shocking lack of a serious plan and long-term strategy to deal with our southern border. This is what our leaders – in the House, in the Senate, and the president – need to focus on. Not contrived emergencies,” concluded Evans.
President Trump declared a national emergency when Congress voted on a bipartisan budget to end the government shutdown However, Congress did not provide all the wall money the president had requested.
To learn more, please visit www.fcnl.org.
