Ted Cruz was part of the last ditch effort to lobby Trump
These are the 12 Republican senators -- including both of Utah's members -- who voted to terminate the national emergency declaration:
— Lamar Alexander of Tennessee: "After a Revolutionary War against a king, our nation's founders gave to Congress the power to approve all spending so that the president would not have too much power. This check on the executive is a crucial source of our freedom."
— Roy Blunt of Missouri, a member of the GOP leadership: "I was aggressively opposed to the Obama administration's attempts to circumvent Congress's appropriating authority to prop up" the health-care law known as Obamacare. "The same principle should apply regardless of which party occupies the White House."
— Collins: "I'm sure (the president) will not be happy with my vote, but I'm a United States senator and feel my job is to stand up for the Constitution. So let the chips fall where they may."
— Mike Lee of Utah: "Congress is supposed to be the first among the federal government's three co-equal branches. For decades, Congress has been giving far too much legislative power to the executive branch."
— Jerry Moran of Kansas: "I aggressively opposed the overreach of past presidents and believe that I cannot pick and choose to now look the other way. How we do things — even good things — matter. We were raised that the ends don't justify the means."
— Lisa Murkowski of Alaska: "When the executive branch goes around the express intention of Congress on matters within its jurisdiction, we must speak up or legislative acquiescence will erode our constitutional authority."
— Rand Paul of Kentucky: "I stand with President Trump on the need for a border wall and stronger border security, but the Constitution clearly states that money cannot be spent unless Congress has passed a law to do so."
— Rob Portman of Ohio: "There is no question we need stronger border security. Erecting more barriers and fencing in key areas along the border will help stem the tide. But we have to do that in the right way. Congress, not the president, has sole authority to determine how to spend taxpayer money. Declaring a national emergency to access different funds sets a dangerous new precedent."
— Mitt Romney of Utah: "This is a vote for the Constitution and for the balance of powers that is at its core. For the executive branch to override a law passed by Congress would make it the ultimate power rather than a balancing power. I am seriously concerned that overreach by the executive branch is an invitation to further expansion and abuse by future presidents."
— Marco Rubio of Florida: "We have an emergency at our border, which is why I support the president's use of forfeiture funds and counter-drug money to build a wall. However, I cannot support moving funds that Congress explicitly appropriated for construction and upgrades of our military bases. This would create a precedent a future president may abuse to jumpstart programs like the Green New Deal" or other liberal ideas.
— Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania: "I support what the president is trying to do. I don't support the way the president is going about it, and to me that's an important distinction." Trump's emergency declaration "set a troubling precedent" regarding the president's ability to go around Congress and redirect tax dollars for other purposes, Toomey said.
— Roger Wicker of Mississippi: "I strongly support (Trump's) plan to build walls on our southern border, but an emergency declaration (is) the wrong approach. The president already has almost $6 billion available that can be used to build border walls. I am concerned about the precedent an emergency declaration sets, which might empower a future liberal president to declare emergencies to enact gun control, address 'climate emergencies' or even tear down the wall we are building today."
It’s being reported now by CNN that both Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz were among three GOP Senators who visited the White House last night in a last-ditch effort to discuss concerns they had over the upcoming Senate vote on the national emergency resolution.
Here’s what’s being reported:
After spending Wednesday trying (unsuccessfully) to schedule a meeting with President Trump, a trio of Republican senators went the the White House last night to present Trump with a proposal related to his national emergency declaration.Sens. Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz were among the group of three senators who visited the President last night at the White House in a last-ditch effort to discuss concerns about the upcoming vote on his emergency declaration, sources familiar with the meeting confirmed to CNN.The GOP lawmakers had tried earlier in the day to get an audience with Trump so they could discuss the vote, but White House staff prevented the meeting from taking place.
This is the first we’ve heard of Cruz on this issue since we posted on him saying that he would research Trump’s declaration to ensure it’s constitutional. I’m not sure if this suggests he’s against the declaration or if he’s just trying to make sure enough Republicans can vote against the Senate resolution and keep it from reaching Trump’s desk.
Interestingly enough, Trump seems to have conceded this morning to updating the law in the future:
Prominent legal scholars agree that our actions to address the National Emergency at the Southern Border and to protect the American people are both CONSTITUTIONAL and EXPRESSLY authorized by Congress....
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....If, at a later date, Congress wants to update the law, I will support those efforts, but today’s issue is BORDER SECURITY and Crime!!! Don’t vote with Pelosi!
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A vote for today’s resolution by Republican Senators is a vote for Nancy Pelosi, Crime, and the Open Border Democrats!
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So that’s something. Whether it is enough to turn the tide of Republicans set to vote with Democrats on the resolution of disapproval, that remains to be seen.
McConnell has said he will vote with the president on the resolution, as reported by Chad Pergram:
McConnell on national emergency statute: If Congress has grown uneasy with this law, as many have, then we should amend it. If the 116th Congress regrets the degree of flexibility that the 94th Congress gave the executive, the 116th Congress can do something about it.
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McConnell: The president is operating within existing law and the crisis on our border is all too real. I will vote to support the president’s decision later today and I encourage my colleagues to do the same.
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Well that’s good news. But it’s probably too little too late to turn the tide. Even Trump is already conceding he’ll probably have to veto the resolution:
“I don’t know what the vote will be. It doesn’t matter. I will probably have to veto,” Trump said.
We’ll be all over this later today when McConnell holds the vote for this, so check back later to see which Republicans stood against Trump’s national emergency.
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