In an interview broadcast Saturday, Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin expressed concern over President Donald Trump’s decision to declare a national emergency, the Hill reports.
Johnson told NBC’s Chuck Todd that he shares concerns from fellow Republicans, some of which have criticized the president’s decision arguing that declaring a national emergency in order to allocate funding for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border is setting a dangerous precedent that could be abused by future presidents.
“Absolutely I share those concerns which is why we’re going to take a very careful look at what he’s doing here in this instance,” the Wisconsin senator said.
As detailed by a previous Inquisitr report, on February 16 President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in an alleged effort to end the “crisis” at the southern border. Met with skepticism and push-back, the decision came as no surprise given that Trump had previously signaled to opt for such a maneuver.
“I didn’t need to do this, but I’d rather do it much faster,” the president told the press, prompting the media to conclude that his very statement contradicts the claim that there is indeed a national emergency that needs to be addressed.
Trump’s radical decision is meant to fund a wall on the southern border, which was one of the president’s key 2016 campaign promises. The order came following the longest government shutdown in United States history, and subsequent bipartisan failure to reach an agreement on the issue.
“We will possibly get a bad ruling, and then we’ll get another bad ruling and then we’ll end up in the Supreme Court,” Trump said of impending lawsuits during a press conference, predicting that his decision would be challenged in court.
GOP senator voices concern about Trump order, hasn’t decided whether he’ll back it https://t.co/FcbfZO8p3o pic.twitter.com/F39frlkgsC
— The Hill (@thehill) February 17, 2019
Thought to be the first of many lawsuits against the president to come, liberal advocacy group Public Citizen’s lawsuit — filed Friday on behalf of three Texas landowners and the Frontera Audubon Society — openly accuses the president of violating the Constitution.
Imperative for Donald Trump amidst the border wall battle appears to be support from fellow Republicans.
Libertarian-leaning Kentucky Senator Rand Paul wrote on Twitter that he is “disappointed” with Trump’s decision to declare a national emergency.
“I’m disappointed with both the massive, bloated, secretive bill that just passed and with the president’s intention to declare an emergency to build a wall.”
Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson appears close to joining Paul’s protests.
Johnson was more reserved in his comments, however, telling NBC’s Chuck Todd on Saturday that he would have to “take a look” at a congressional resolution to disprove of Trump’s order before supporting it.
“I’m going to take a look at it and I’ll decide when I actually have to vote on it,” Johnson said.