In the latest sign that Donald Trump’s fake and illegal national emergency declaration is in trouble, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said on Wednesday that she will vote to block the move if it comes to a vote in the Senate.
According to The Hill, Collins told reporters “that she would support a resolution of disapproval that was focused on the emergency declaration,” saying that she believes it’s constitutionally “dubious.”
“If it’s a ‘clean’ disapproval resolution, I will support it,” she said, according to the report.
Earlier in the week, Collins said she is “strongly opposed to the president invoking his national emergency powers.”
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She added, “I don’t believe that’s what the law was intended to cover.”
As The Hill notes, Collins is the first Republican to go on the record saying she will vote to block Trump’s declaration, but in the weeks leading up to the president’s emergency decree, a handful of GOP lawmakers have expressed their concern or opposition to such a move to fund Trump’s fantasy border wall.
It’s unclear how many Republicans will put their money where their mouths are and vote to block Trump’s fake emergency. And even if they do, Trump is sure to veto the move once it reaches his desk.
In other words, it’s fine and well for Susan Collins to cast a vote that would block Trump’s emergency declaration, but it could very likely come down to the Supreme Court, where Brett Kavanaugh – who Collins helped confirm – will have a chance to weigh in.
Democrats in Congress and the state level are fighting back
As I noted earlier in the week, Democrats at the state level aren’t taking Trump’s fake emergency lying down. Sixteen states filed a lawsuit on Monday challenging the constitutionality of the move.
At the national level, as PoliticusUSA reported a short time ago, 92 lawmakers have signed onto a resolution that will be introduced Friday to “end President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration on border security.”
Congress has the power to end Donald Trump’s unconstitutional emergency declaration, and Democrats are trying to use it. But given the fact that too many Republicans have given up their power in order to appease Donald Trump, this matter is likely to be settled in the courts.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
