Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Democrat, on Sunday said she believes there are enough votes in the Senate to pass a resolution disapproving of President Trump’s recent emergency declaration the White House says will allow him to tap unspent money to construct a border wall.
“I think we do,” Ms. Duckworth said on ABC’s “This Week.” “Now, whether we have enough for an override and veto, that’s a different story.”
“But frankly, I think there’s enough people in the Senate who are concerned that what he’s doing is robbing from the military and the [Defense Department] to go build this wall,” she said.
Under the National Emergencies Act, Congress can pass a resolution disapproving of Mr. Trump’s emergency declaration.
It takes a simple majority vote in the House and the Senate to pass. That should be an easy hurdle in the Democrat-controlled House, but it means at least four GOP senators would have to take a vote going against the president to get it through the Senate.
Though some Republicans have said they’re concerned about Mr. Trump’s declaring an emergency to speed up construction on his desired U.S.-Mexico border wall, leaders are skeptical there would be a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate to override a would-be veto on a resolution of disapproval.
“There’s going to be resolutions in both the House and Senate to disapprove what the president’s doing,” Rep. Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican, said on the program. “I think they’ll pass but when the president will veto them, I don’t think there’s any chance that the veto will be overridden.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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