President Donald Trump says it would be "very surprising" for him not to declare a national emergency if he can't make a deal with Democrats to pay for his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.
WGVU spoke with a West Michigan Republican congressman about that option.
“I get the sense that the President is getting ready to declare an emergency and that will give him the cover that he believes he needs to support legislation that doesn’t provide him the funding that he’s asking for.”
That’s U.S. Representative Justin Amash.
“I think it would be a serious mistake for him to declare a National Emergency when there is no national emergency. Again, the legislative branch writes the laws and the President executes the laws and there are not enough legislators right now who think there’s an emergency. And I think there aren’t many Americans who think there’s an emergency either.”
The Cascade Township Republican says the President could declare a National Emergency to live up to his campaign promise to “Build the Wall.” Amash points out that then candidate Trump also claimed Mexico would pay for it. So, if now President Trump declares a National Emergency for its construction… “The President is on shaky ground here and if he starts declaring this an emergency what’s to stop any President from declaring just about anything an emergency and usurping the legislative process, taking over, and doing what they want.”
Patrick Center, WGVU News.