Trump has some support from Senate Republicans to declare a national emergency. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) said Monday that if Trump were to go that route, he would stand with him and be “proud of the president that he’s willing to stand up and do what’s right to protect this country.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) also tweeted last week that he would support Trump using emergency powers to build a wall or barrier if Congress and the White House are unable to reach a deal by Feb. 15 when the next shutdown could hit.
The president would likely veto the resolution should it be passed, which would require just 34 supportive senators to sustain. Yet going through that process would undermine him politically, focusing attention on the president’s conflict with his own party and his first veto rather than other accomplishments.
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