Republicans are preparing to impose limits on the president’s ability to declare national emergencies following President Donald Trump’s recent declaration.
Last Friday, Trump vetoed an attempt from Congress to prevent him from using a national emergency to allocate money for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Despite this loss, Republicans in Congress are still committed to reducing the president’s power to declare a national emergency.
“It’s an institutional issue, it’s a congressional authorities issue. We have the power of the purse,” Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, told The Hill. “Under the National Emergencies Act, there was too much latitude that was given away … and we need to pull that back some and let it be used for legitimate national security purposes.”
Sen. Joe Kennedy, R-La., added that, “there is a lot of people, myself included, who believe that the National Emergencies Act ... needs to be reformed.”
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said that there’s “unanimity” in the party about changing the law. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has asked Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., to write a bill that can win 60 votes, enough to prevent a filibuster.
“I would like to revisit the emergency powers that Congress has provided to the executive branch,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., who sided with Trump. “I do think it's going to be a healthy debate to have.”
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