WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared a national emergency for the southern border on Friday morning, in an attempt to siphon off additional funding for a wall.
Despite a border security compromise bill passed by Congress on Thursday to avert a second painful government shutdown, Trump’s decision to bypass lawmakers will likely spark a new confrontation with both lawmakers and federal courts.
“We’re talking about an invasion of our country with drugs, with human traffickers, with all types of criminals and gangs,” Trump said, speaking from the White House Rose Garden on Friday.
Trump also said he anticipates legal challenges to his decision, but expects he’ll ultimately be vindicated — even if it means a protracted battle up to the Supreme Court.
In a joint statement, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi denounced the declaration as an overstep in executive power: “This is plainly a power grab by a disappointed President, who has gone outside the bounds of the law to try to get what he failed to achieve in the constitutional legislative process.”
Watch the full speech below, or listen to the speech here.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
