Washington And Oregon GOP Congress Members Vote Against President Trump On Border Emergency
Read On
Three Northwest Republican lawmakers parted ways with President Donald Trump Tuesday and voted to block his attempt to fund a border wall through an emergency declaration.
Oregon Rep. Greg Walden and Washington Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Cathy McMorris Rodgers were among the 13 Republicans who joined every House Democrat in passing a resolution to overturn Trump’s emergency declaration.
All three faced tougher-than-normal elections last November and have been more apt to stake out independent ground lately. Each has expressed concern that a dangerous precedent would be set if Trump succeeds in diverting money for construction of a border wall after Congress refused to pay for it.
“Despite the lack of progress on border security,” Herrera Beutler said in a written statement, “using an emergency declaration to circumvent congressional action — whether Congress is right or, in this case, dead wrong — is a very dangerous path.”
She warned that a Democratic president could use an emergency declaration to pursue policies conservatives would not support — such as adopting stringent climate-change rules or tighter gun control laws.
Walden said in a statement that he agreed with Trump’s call for additional border security. But he added that the “Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse, not the President.”
McMorris Rodgers said in a statement that she was “100 percent in favor of President Trump’s wall.” But she said that she has long opposed presidential attempts to circumvent congressional authority.
The 13 Republicans joined with 232 Democrats to pass the resolution to overturn Trump’s declaration while 182 Republicans voted against it. The resolution now goes to the Senate.
Copyright 2019 Oregon Public Broadcasting
Related Stories:
Puget Sound Naval Base Project Among Those Cut By Defense Dept. To Fund Border Wall
A submarine pier in Washington state is among the most prominent projects being cut. On President Trump’s direction, the U.S. Defense Department is diverting money from 127 military projects both in the U.S. and abroad.
Watchdogs Cite Lax Medical And Mental Health Treatment Of ICE Detainees
LISTEN BY SARAH VARNEY It’s Saturday morning and the women of the Contreras family are busy in Montclair, Calif., making pupusas, tamales and tacos. They’re working to replace the income
U.S. Citizens Detained After Speaking Spanish In Montana Sue U.S. Border Agency
Two women who were detained and asked to show identification after speaking Spanish in a convenience store in Montana are suing U.S. Customs and Border Protection, saying the CBP agent violated their constitutional rights when he detained them and asked to see their identification.