U.S. House of Representatives Passes Measure Against Emergency Declaration for Border Wall Construction

The U.S. House of Representatives has voted on a measure aimed at overturning the emergency declaration by the President for the construction of a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. This measure now goes to the Senate for a vote; Democrats hold a majority in the House, but Republicans, allies of Donald Trump, have the majority in the Senate. In the House, 245 representatives voted 'yes' and 182 voted 'no'; 13 Republican representatives joined Democrats in support of the measure. The aim of this measure is to prevent the emergency declaration at the border. Mr. Trump stated in late February that he would declare an emergency to fund the wall at the Mexico border. Trump claims that building the wall is essential for security, preventing human trafficking, and other crimes. However, opponents of the plan disagree and call for lower costs and the pursuit of other options for securing and protecting the southern border. Meanwhile, some legal experts in the U.S. say declaring an emergency for wall construction could be an action against Congress's inherent responsibilities for government funding and could also be unprecedented. Several former Republican officials and some former security officials were among the signatories of an open letter recently published, describing the emergency declaration for wall construction as 'without factual basis.' 58 former U.S. officials signed this letter. On the other hand, Trump wrote on his Twitter account, 'Without strong borders (in terms of security), we will not have a country, and voters agree with us. Be strong and smart and do not fall into the Democrats' trap for open borders and crime!' In any case, if the congressional measure passes in both the House and Senate, Mr. Trump can still veto it and has warned that he will do so. In that case, Congress would need two-thirds of the total votes to override the veto.