Senators Collins, Udall, Shaheen, Murkowski Introduce Bipartisan Resolution to Terminate President’s National Emergency Declaration
Click HERE to read Senator Collins’ remarks on the Senate floor.
Click HERE to watch Senator Collins’ remarks of the Senate floor. Click HERE to download a high-resolution video.
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tom Udall (D-NM) delivered remarks on the Senate floor to introduce a bipartisan joint resolution to terminate the president’s national emergency declaration and uphold the separation of powers outlined in the Constitution. The resolution, cosponsored by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), is a companion resolution to H.J.Res 46, which passed the House with a bipartisan vote of 245-182 earlier this week.
“Let me be clear: The question before us is not whether to support or oppose the wall, or to support or oppose the President. Rather, it is: Do we want the Executive Branch—now or in the future—to hold a power that the Founders deliberately entrusted to Congress? I strongly support protecting the institutional prerogatives of the Senate, and the system of checks and balances that is central to the structure of our government,” said Senator Collins. “The President’s declaration also has practical implications for the Military Construction appropriations process. This includes several important efforts at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine that are vital to the Navy conducting timely maintenance and refueling of our nation’s submarines. Shifting funding away from these projects is short-sighted and could have very real national security implications.”
“The President’s Emergency Declaration is ill-advised precisely because it attempts to short-cut the process of checks and balances by usurping Congress’ authority,” Senator Collins continued. “This Resolution blocks that overreach, and nothing more, and I urge my colleagues to support it.”
On February 15, the president declared a national emergency at the southern border, in an attempt to divert funding set aside for military construction and other projects toward a border wall --despite the fact that Congress alone holds the “power of the purse,” to appropriate taxpayer funds. The joint resolution introduced by the Senators today would terminate the national emergency declaration and uphold the separation of powers.
Senator Collins has previously opposed executive overreach. In 2015, for example, she authored the Immigration Rule of Law Act, legislation which would have provided a statutory basis for the DREAMER population, while rolling back the executive orders expanding that program.
