Trump to Declare
National Emergency
and Sign Spending Bill The Senate voted 82-16
to pass the 1,159-page
bill, averting another
government shutdown. It includes $1.375 billion for
55 miles of steel-post fencing
along the U.S. southern border. White House spokesperson
Sarah Sanders announced that
President Donald Trump "will
also take other executive action - including a national emergency —
to ensure we stop the national security
and humanitarian crisis at the border." Senate Majority leader Mitch
McConnell, R-KY, indicated
that he will support the
national emergency declaration. By declaring a
national emergency
on border security, Trump
essentially bypasses Congress to divert the amount
of funding he seeks to build a
wall on the U.S./Mexico border. The president is seeking
$5.7 billion to create a
steel or concrete wall to
run more than 200 miles. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
D-CA, referred to Trump's
expected declaration as
"an end run around Congress." She said Democrats
were "reviewing"
options to respond,
including a legal challenge.