Senate

The 25 Republicans who defied Trump on emergency declaration

by Tal Axelrod - 03/16/19 1:02 PM ET

More than two dozen Republicans in the House and Senate bucked GOP leadership and the White House to vote for a resolution that would block President Trump’s emergency declaration at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The rebuke, resulting in the first veto of Trump’s presidency on Friday, was an embarrassment for the White House, though neither chamber is expected to muster the votes needed to override the president.

In total, 25 Republicans voted to overturn Trump’s declaration, with 12 GOP senators voting Thursday for a resolution to disapprove of his emergency declaration after 13 House Republicans voted for the measure late last month.{mosads}

Many of the Republicans admitted they had serious concerns about migrants and drugs coming across the border but argued that Trump’s declaration infringed upon lawmakers’ constitutional duty to appropriate federal money. The president declared the emergency last month to allocate roughly $8 billion in federal funds to build miles of new barriers along the southern border.

Trump sent multiple tweets in the lead-up to Thursday’s showdown, urging senators to vote against the disapproval resolution. However, when announcing his veto on Friday, he maintained that lawmakers could vote however they want.

“They’re doing what they have to do, and I put no pressure on anybody. I actually said, ‘I could have gotten some of them to come along.’ I said, ‘I want for you to vote your heart. … I’m not putting any pressure,’” he told reporters in the Oval Office.

Here are the 25 Republicans who voted to block Trump’s emergency declaration:

Sen. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.)

Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.)

Sen. Roy Blunt (Mo.)

Sen. Susan Collins (Maine)

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.)

Rep. Mike Gallagher (Wis.)

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.)

Rep. Will Hurd (Texas)

Rep. Dusty Johnson (S.D.)

Sen. Mike Lee (Utah)

Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.)