House votes to block Trump's national emergency

House Democrats introduced a resolution last Friday to block President Trump's effort to build a wall on the southern border through his emergency powers, setting up votes in Congress to rebuke the President's proclamation.

In a call with reporters, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat and the author of the resolution, argued that Trump's emergency declaration undermined Congress's constitutional power of the purse.

"The President's act is lawless," Pelosi said. "It does violence to our Constitution and therefore to our democracy. His declaration strikes at the heart of our Founders' concept of America, which demands separation of powers."

The Democratic-controlled House appears all but certain to pass the resolution Tuesday and put pressure on Republicans in the Senate, many of whom have concerns with Trump's action. Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who now supports the President's decision, had previously said he wanted to avoid it.

One thing to note: Still, even if the resolution passed, Trump could veto it, forcing Congress to override it with a two-thirds majority in the Senate and the House.

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