FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 14, 2019

CONTACT
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Juan Gastelum, 213-375-3149
Hayley Burgess, 202-805-0375

Senate Rebukes Trump’s Attempts to Subvert Congress to Fund Border Wall

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate today passed a resolution to reverse President Trump’s February national emergency declaration. Trump declared an emergency at the southern border last month, while simultaneously admitting it was unnecessary, to divert billions of taxpayer dollars for a southern border wall. Congress has repeatedly refused Trump’s budget requests for the unpopular, wasteful, and hate-driven project.

The president has said that he will use his first veto to override the resolution, which passed the House of Representatives on Feb. 26.

Avideh Moussavian, legislative director at the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement:

“The Senate vote today is yet another clear rebuke of Trump’s demands for a border wall, once again signaling to the president that he cannot steal billions of taxpayer dollars to fund his xenophobic political stunt. Trump put in jeopardy the well-being of hundreds of thousands of workers and the American public when he instigated the longest government shutdown in the country’s history for the sake of his wall. When he still didn’t get a blank check for his racist monument, he declared a made-up national emergency so he could steal taxpayer dollars, ignoring the authority of Congress as a coequal branch of our government. This is a reckless way to run the country, threatens the stability of our democracy, and puts countless lives and communities, and our environment, at risk.

“Trump has made it clear that he will stop at nothing to advance his cruel vision of a border wall, refusing to listen to voters, Congress, or the communities that will suffer as a result. He has a responsibility to heed the will of the American people and not use his veto authority to pave the way for this unconstitutional power grab.”

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