WASHINGTON — On Friday, House Democrats filed a resolution that would block President Donald Trump's emergency declaration, which was made in order to secure funding for a wall along the southern border.
Rep. Justin Amash (R-Cascade) is the sole Republican to back the resolution, which was sponsored by Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio).
Amash retweeted a CNN Congressional reporter who said: "Rep. @JoaquinCastrotx says he currently has one Republican co-sponsor of the resolution to terminate Pres. Trump's National Emergency Declaration: @justinamash."
Trump declared a national emergency on Friday, Feb. 15. He announced he will be spending about $8 billion on border barriers, with funding coming from Congress and through the national emergency. The money would come from funds targeted for counterdrug efforts and military construction, but aides could not immediately specify which military projects would be affected.
The effort will likely fall short, as Trump has vowed to veto the resolution.
Regardless, Castro said he has garnered support from the majority of the House, including Amash.
While Amash has not issued a statement regarding his support for the resolution yet, he did publish a thread on Twitter following the president's declaration last Friday.
"A national emergency declaration for a non-emergency is void," he tweeted. "A prerequisite for declaring an emergency is that the situation requires immediate action and Congress does not have an opportunity to act."
Amash's spokesperson Poppy Nelson confirmed to 13 ON YOUR SIDE Amash is supporting the resolution.
Amash is known for being a congressman who advocates for small government and is a strong supporter of the Constitution. In July 2018, The Washington Post called him 'Dr. No,' and compared him to Ron Paul, a Texas libertarian and former congressman.
The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.
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