There won’t be any last-minute deal between Senate Republicans and the White House hoping to salvage a vote against President Trump’s wall funding grab.
Trump has rejected a proposal by a group of GOP lawmakers that would trade off their support for his February emergency declaration in exchange for a promise by the president that he would sign into law future legislation authored by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to rein in that very power.
“He’s not interested in Sen. Lee’s bill,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a member of the Republican leadership team, said.
Republicans told the Washington Examiner that the GOP could stay unified in backing the current national emergency declaration if they received a signal from the White House that Trump would back Lee’s proposal about future use of the law.
The Senate must vote Thursday on a House-passed resolution to revoke Trump’s February national emergency declaration. Trump is using the declaration as authorization to shift $3.6 million in military project funding to the construction of a southern border wall.
Now that a deal is off the table, it’s all but certain enough Republicans will vote with Democrats to pass the House resolution, setting up Trump’s first veto and a rebuke from at least part of his own party.
Republicans insisted talks are still ongoing about the pending vote, but most said it appears the Senate will simply vote on the House-passed resolution revoking the emergency.
“I don’t think the president’s going to win this one,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told reporters after Republicans met privately Wednesday afternoon.
Lee introduced a bill Tuesday that would automatically end all future emergency declarations after 30 days unless Congress voted to extend it.
Such a move would give Congress more power over emergency resolutions because the measure would not be subject to a veto if Congress votes against extending an emergency declaration.
Lee’s proposal was already doomed before Trump rejected it.
Senate and House Democrats, who staunchly oppose Trump’s emergency declaration, promised to block the Lee bill because it would not apply to the current national emergency or the $3.6 billion in military construction funding Trump is shifting to a wall project.
Pelosi announced Wednesday she would not take up the bill because, in her view, it is simply providing cover to the GOP to back the president’s wall funding grab.
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who has the power to help filibuster legislation, said he also opposes GOP move.
Senate Republicans are not completely out of options, they told reporters Wednesday.
Lawmakers may vote on amendments to the bill that could also help keep Republicans unified.
But Democrats will probably vote against any amendments for the same reason they won’t back the Lee bill.
“Any significant departure from the House text further complicates the clarity of the message,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told the Washington Examiner. “Which is a resolution of disapprove saying to the president, this was neither national emergency or in our nation’s best interest.”
The veto will serve as a rebuke of the president but not much more. The House is far from having the approximately 50 Republicans needed to help Democrats override a presidential veto with the required two-thirds majority.
Trump’s emergency declaration faces slimmer chances of survival in court, where it is being challenged by states and advocacy groups.
