National Emergency Declaration Vote Statement

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- Today the Senate voted 59 to 41 to terminate President Trump’s national emergency declaration. President Trump declared the “national emergency” in an attempt to bypass Congress after its one year funding bill did not include the money he wanted to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

In response, Melanie Nezer, HIAS’ Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, said, “There is no emergency at our southern border. Congress has the authority under the Constitution to decide the nation’s spending priorities, and when Congress passed its Fiscal Year 2019 spending bill it decided not to fund a wall. HIAS applauds all members of Congress who defended the Constitution today.”

Nezer added: “The people who are reaching our southern border today are mostly Central American families and kids who are fleeing violence and persecution. They are presenting themselves to authorities and asking for asylum. The administration has done what it can to keep people from accessing our asylum system, leading to family separations and long waits in Mexico where security is a serious concern. Treating asylum seekers fairly and humanely is much cheaper than a wall, and we urge Congress and the president to protect our asylum system.”

The resolution will now go to the president, who has threatened to veto it.

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