Trump Officially Vetoes Decision To Overturn National Emergency Declaration

1852 March 18, 2019 | by Cheryl Kahla

President Donald Trump has officially vetoed the measures taken to reverse his decision to declare a national emergency on the southern border of the United States and Mexico.

At the signing ceremony, Attorney General Bill Barr has spoken out in defense of the president's declaration of a national state of emergency.

Barr feels the president's decision was “clearly authorized under the law,” and that border situation is precisely the type of situation that warranted presidential intervention of this kind.

The veto comes a day after the Senate voted 51-41 to pass the measures to block Trump's emergency declaration, with 12 Senate Republicans voting in favor of the resolution.

The veto is the latest development in Trump's attempt to fund a border wall to combat illegal immigrants.

Trump declared a national emergency after his initial request for $5.7 billion from Congress to build the wall was rejected. Congress granted only a small percentage of the amount requested.

By declaring a national emergency, President Trump would be in a position to access a further $3.6 billion toward the building of the wall.