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February 15, 2019

Trump to Use National Emergency Declaration to Build Border Wall
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President Trump is expected to declare a national emergency today to
build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border despite opposition from
Congress. On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mc Connell announced
the president planned to sign the latest spending bill but to also
declare a national emergency. The spending bill includes nearly $1.4
billion to build 55 miles of new border barriers out of steel, far less
than the $5.7 billion requested by President Trump. House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi condemned Trump's plan to declare a national emergency.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "It's not an emergency, what's happening at
the border. It's a humanitarian challenge to us. The president has tried
to sell a bill of goods to the American people. But putting that aside,
just in terms of the president making an end run around Congress."

Several Republicans, including Senators Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, have
also come out against Trump's emergency declaration. Rubio wrote, "We
have a crisis at our southern border, but no crisis justifies violating
the Constitution." Several groups, including Public Citizen, have
announced plans to sue the Trump administration once the national
emergency is declared.