Trump's Veto Not Overturned in U.S. House of Representatives

On Tuesday, April 6, members of the U.S. House of Representatives were unable to gather the two-thirds majority needed to overturn President Donald Trump's veto. As a result, Trump's declaration of a national emergency at the southern borders of the country will remain in effect. According to Reuters, Democrats, who hold the majority in the House, could not rally more Republicans to support the veto override. Only 14 Republicans joined the 234 Democrats present in the House. In total, 248 representatives supported the veto override, while 181 opposed it. With this vote, Trump will be able to use federal funds to cover part of the costs of building the southern border wall. In this context, Trump tweeted his appreciation for Republican unity in the House against the Democrats' plan and called the Democrats' failure to overturn the 'national emergency veto at the southern border' a 'big' victory. Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the House, promised that lawmakers would prevent Trump's actions to fund the wall through Congress and stated that the emergency declaration would be reviewed again in six months. Trump declared a 'national emergency' on February 15, citing a 'humanitarian and security crisis' at the southern borders. However, Democrats immediately announced they would challenge the President's declaration. The U.S. Senate, which currently has a Republican majority, passed a bill to revoke the emergency declaration on March 13 with 59 votes in favor and 41 against, following the House's actions. Trump vetoed this congressional resolution on March 14. Trump had previously stated that the U.S. is facing an influx of criminal gangs and drug traffickers, as well as a surge of illegal immigrants, making the construction of the southern border wall a necessity. He initially requested $5.7 billion in funding for the wall, which Democrats rejected, leading to a 35-day shutdown of parts of the federal government and ultimately forcing the President to declare a 'national emergency'.