Later today, the House of Representatives will vote on a resolution, H.J.Res. 46, to block President Trump’s unconstitutional and unpopular emergency declaration. America’s Voice strongly recommends a YES vote on the resolution. As Pili Tobar, Deputy Director for America’s Voice, stated yesterday:
National security experts overwhelmingly agree, there is no actual emergency along the border and zero justification for overriding the explicit wishes of Congress … The majority of the American people disapprove of President Trump’s power grab to build his border wall, and will be watching to see how Republicans vote and whether they put the Constitution ahead of their blind party loyalty to a weak and unhinged President Trump. (see here for our full statement explaining the vote recommendation).
Ahead of today’s vote, additional conservative voices are calling on their fellow Republicans to stand up for constitutional checks and balances and to vote yes on the resolution. Among the new conservative voices include:
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) writes a Washington Post op-ed making the case for why even Republican elected officials who share “Trump’s vision on border security” should vote for the resolution against the emergency declaration, noting:
Those on the left and the right who are making Trump’s emergency declaration a simple political litmus test of whether one supports or opposes the president and his policies are missing the mark. This is about the separation of powers and whether Congress will support or oppose a new precedent of executive power that will have major consequences. As a U.S. senator, I cannot justify providing the executive with more ways to bypass Congress.
…These are the reasons I would vote in favor of the resolution disapproving of the president’s national-emergency declaration, if and when it comes before the Senate.
Meanwhile, a Politico story titled, “Trump on Brink of Defeat on Border Emergency” previews how other Republican Senators are also expressing disapproval with Trump’s emergency declaration and could join Senator Tillis in voting yes on the resolution.
Conservative writer Matt Lewis writes a Daily Beast column titled, “Any Republican Senator or House Member Who Supports Donald Trump’s ‘National Emergency’ Is Dead to Me,” noting:
There are a few things in politics that are red lines―once they are crossed, there is no going back. Trump’s emergency declaration is one of them. If a president can declare anything he wants to do an “emergency,” then our republican system has been torn asunder.
…The constitutional crisis is upon us, folks. Members of Congress can’t just pass the buck to the courts to handle it. It’s time to take a stand. Any Republican who votes for this emergency order and (should the situation arise) does not support overturning Trump’s veto has crossed the red line. They’re dead to me, and they should be to you, too.
Conservative writer Ramesh Ponnuru writes a Bloomberg column titled, “Pro-Wall Republicans Should Reject Trump’s Emergency”, noting:
Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to build barriers is also an executive overreach. Congressional Republicans should vote to disapprove it, even if they favor a tougher approach to border security … They should vote to disapprove of Trump’s abuse — especially if they condemned Obama’s previous abuse, as most congressional Republicans did.
