Democrats move to block Trump’s border emergency

WASHINGTON: US Democrats on Friday rolled out their measure aimed at blocking President Donald Trump from circumventing Congress to seize federal dollars for construction of his controversial southern border wall.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the chamber will vote next Tuesday on the so-called disapproval resolution to terminate the national emergency that Trump declared last week, an exceptional step that sparked fierce political and legal battles.

The legislation is expected to clear the Democrat-held House of Representatives, then head to the Senate where it is guaranteed a vote under the rules. Its fate however is anything but assured in the upper chamber, which is controlled by Trump´s Republicans.

Trump swiftly weighed in to say he would reject the measure if it reaches his desk, deepening a showdown with his Capitol Hill opponents.

"Will I veto it? 100 percent," Trump said, expressing confidence that Congress would not be able to override his objection.

Overriding a presidential veto requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers, meaning substantial numbers of Republicans would have to break with Trump in order for his emergency declaration to be blocked. Pelosi meanwhile hammered away at Trump´s "lawless" declaration, saying it had no valid rationale.

"There is no evidence to support the president´s false claim of a crisis on the border," Pelosi told a conference call Friday from Laredo, Texas, where she and fellow lawmakers were visiting a bridge connecting the US and Mexico.

Trump announced the emergency last week in order to bypass Congress, which did not approve the $5.7 billion he wanted for his wall, a long-standing promise from his 2016 presidential campaign.