Page 3 - ARUBA TODAY

A3
U.S. NEWS Wednesday 27 February 2019
HOUSE OKS DEMOCRATS "Is your oath of office to projects Trump would di-
Continued from Front Donald Trump, or is your vert to pay for the wall, with
Senate passage would oath of office to the Con- Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala.,
force Trump's first veto, stitution?" House Speaker saying the discussion was
which the House vote dem- Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., "hearty." Shelby, who chairs
onstrated that Congress asked Republicans. the Senate Appropriations
would surely fail to overturn. Trump's push for the wall Committee, which controls
But the showdown was reflected a continuation spending, said his panel
forcing Republicans to cast of the anti-immigrant views would quickly "backfill"
uncomfortable votes pit- that helped fuel his elec- money for military construc-
ting their support for a pres- tion, some Democrats said. tion with other funds he did
ident wildly popular with "Since when do we call hu- not identify.
GOP voters against fears man beings in need a na- "That issue won't stay alive
that his expansive use of tional emergency?" said long," Shelby told reporters.
emergency powers would Mexican-born Rep. Jesus Sen. John Thune of South
invite future Democratic "Chuy" Garcia, D-Ill. "Is he Dakota, the chief GOP vote Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., with, from left, Sens. Todd Young,
presidents to do likewise for running out of insults for counter, said there may be R-In., Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Barasso, John Thune, R-S.D., Senate Ma-
jority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa,
their own pet policies. people like me?" GOP attempts to amend speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb.
House Republicans who Democrats also said the cri- the House measure, say- 26, 2019.
joined all voting Democrats sis is a fiction manufactured ing Republicans "think they Associated Press
to support the Democratic by Trump to dance around have amendments that
resolution included mod- Congress' vote this month would improve it." sure within 18 days of re- beth Goitein, co-director
erates from competitive to provide less than $1.4 bil- That suggests that McCon- ceiving it from the House. for national security at New
districts like Fred Upton of lion for barrier construction. nell may try finding a way to Though presidents have York University Law School's
Michigan and libertarian- That was well below the add language that could declared 58 emergencies Brennan Center for Jus-
leaning conservatives like $5.7 billion Trump demand- sink the Democratic reso- under the law, this is the first tice. This is also the first time
Thomas Massie from Ken- ed as he futilely forced a lution or, perhaps, make it aimed at acquiring mon- Congress has cast votes on
tucky. record-setting 35-day fed- more palatable for Repub- ey for an item Congress whether to annul an emer-
The White House wrote to eral shutdown. licans. The law requires the has explicitly refused to fi- gency declaration, she
lawmakers formally threat- "The president does not get Senate to vote on a mea- nance, according to Eliza- said.q
ening to veto the legisla- to override Congress in a
tion. The letter said block- raucous temper tantrum
ing the emergency dec- over his inability to bro-
laration would "undermine ker a deal" with lawmak-
the administration's ability ers for more money, said
to respond effectively to Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga.
the ongoing crisis at the Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-
Southern Border." Texas, sponsor of the one-
Republicans said Demo- sentence measure block-
crats were driven by poli- ing the declaration, called
tics and a desire to oppose Trump's move "constitution-
Trump at every turn, and al vandalism."
said Trump had clear au- Trump used a 1976 law to
thority to declare an emer- declare a national emer-
gency to protect the coun- gency and ordered the
try. They also defended the shift of $3.6 billion from
president's claims of a secu- military construction proj-
rity crisis along the bound- ects to wall building. Citing
ary with Mexico, which he other powers, he intends
has said is ravaged by drug to shift another $3.1 billion
smugglers, human traffick- from Defense Department
ers and immigrants trying to anti-drug efforts and a fund
sneak into the U.S. illegally. that collects seized assets.
"We are at war on the The money would be used
Southern border with the to build steel barriers up to
drug cartels," said Rep. 30 feet tall and other bar-
Pete Olson, R-Texas. riers and for "law enforce-
Trump has asserted that ment efforts," said a White
barriers would stop drugs House statement.
from Mexico from entering In the Senate, three Repub-
the U.S. In fact, government licans have said they will
figures show that 90 per- back Democrats' drive to
cent of drugs intercepted block the emergency dec-
from Mexico are caught at laration: Maine's Susan Col-
ports of entry, not remote lins, Alaska's Lisa Murkowski
areas where barriers would and North Carolina's Thom
be constructed. Tillis. One more GOP defec-
Democrats said Republi- tion would provide enough
cans repeatedly accused votes to approve the Dem-
former President Barack ocratic measure, assuming
Obama of flouting the all Democrats and their in-
Constitution, which gives dependent allies back it.
Congress control over Republicans said sena-
spending, but are ignor- tors asked Pence numer-
ing Trump's effort to do the ous questions about which
same.