The Power of the President: VETO

By: - March 17, 2019

Friday, President Donald Trump signed his very first veto, a power the president possesses.

With the Senate Republicans bowing to Democrats’ pressure, President Trump’s emergency declaration was defeated. Those Republicans that voted with the left were, with a few exceptions, not unexpected. Those on the right scaling to/with the left are: Lamar Alexander-MO, Roy Blunt-MO, Susan Collins-ME, Mike Lee- UT, Jerry Morgan-KS, Lisa Murkowski- AK, Rand Paul-KY, Rob Portman-OH, Marco Rubio-FL, Pat Toomey-PA, and Roger Wicker-MS.

“Today I am vetoing this resolution,” President Trump echoed to a phalanx of reporters in the Oval Office. “Congress has the freedom to pass this resolution, and I have the duty to veto it,” remarking that the resolution is “dangerous” and “reckless.”

As he signed the veto, he was joined by Vice President Mike Pence, Attorney General William Barr, and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. AG Barr said that the president’s emergency order was “clearly authorized under the law” and “solidly grounded in law.”

There was never any question that if the Senate voted against the Emergency Declaration that President Trump would veto that vote. It had been widely reported that he would take this step. He did.

Now the legislation returns to the Congress to see if they can somehow override the president’s veto. Most watchers and counters of votes on such things do not think the Congress has an adequate amount of votes to overturn the veto. That means that this whole exercise is in vain and the president will get the emergency declaration regardless.

The humanitarian crisis at the border the president has so often remarked about is not going away. I talked to several U.S. Border Patrol agents on the Texas/Mexico border: all of them said they were being overrun. The public does not fully know the depth and dire situation playing out at our southern border. The federal agents also spoke of a large number of people coming across the border with highly contagious diseases like measles, mumps, tuberculosis and chicken pox. In this era of the anti-vaccination movement, this creates an even more dangerous situation for the entire U.S. population.

It is reported that the Republicans bolted to the other side for various reasons. Besides those that almost always vote against the president (I am not sure how they call themselves Republicans) there were those that voted with the left on principle, saying the Congress should have funded the barrier and not forced the president to take the emergency declaration route.

In the end, it went down in a 59-to-41 vote against the emergency declaration.

In a statement after the vote, Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said, ”The president’s veto is as meaningless as his signature on the national emergency declaration. Congress has rejected the president’s declaration, and now the courts will be the ultimate arbiter of its legality. We look forward to seeing him in court and to the shellacking that he will receive at the hands of an independent judiciary.”

Personally, I think this is wishful thinking. Even if the emergency declaration ultimately gets rescinded, the president will still have been able to repurpose other funds and tap additional sources to build the barrier.

The legislature fiddles as the U.S. burns and contagions seep through the nation’s seam.

  • RSS WND

    • Blood samples of Russian music hall terrorists show presence of fear-reducing drug
      (WAYNE DUPREE) – According to reports, blood samples from the four suspects in last week's terrorist attack at a Russian music hall showed traces of a drug that makes people less afraid. The online news site Baza made the claim on Thursday, citing an unnamed person who said they had inside information about the investigation… […]
    • Dems tout study claiming inflation is from … CLIMATE CHANGE!
      By Nick Pope Daily Caller News Foundation Liberals are touting a new study linking climate change and inflation, but economists say that the real causes are more likely to be massive government interventions in the economy purporting to save the climate. The study, authored by four European researchers and published in the scientific journal Communications:… […]
    • Biden strategic petroleum reserve refill costing 3 times Trump's 2020 plan
      By Nick Pope Daily Caller News Foundation The Biden administration purchased 2.8 million barrels to partially refill the strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) at prices significantly higher than prevailing prices when former President Donald Trump proposed to top off the key stockpile in 2020, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced Thursday. The 2.8 million barrels announced… […]
    • Polar vortex is 'spinning backwards' above Arctic after major reversal event
      (LIVE SCIENCE) – The polar vortex circling the Arctic is swirling in the wrong direction after surprise warming in the upper atmosphere triggered a major reversal event earlier this month. It is one of the most extreme atmospheric U-turns seen in recent memory. In the past, disruptions to the polar vortex — a rotating mass… […]
    • Pub stripped of award because of Nazi armband that soldier brought back from WWII
      (CORNWALL LIVE) – A Cornish pub that won a coveted Pub of the Year award has been stripped of the accolade after it emerged it had Nazi memorabilia on display. The Hole in the Wall in Bodmin was named the best pub in the county by CAMRA Kernow – in part due to its unique… […]
    • Distillery using groundbreaking tech to create limited-edition whiskey
      (FOX NEWS) – For two years, Diageo analyzed various Scotch whiskies using machine algorithms. Diageo, an alcohol beverage company, invested $230 million into a portfolio of whiskey tourism projects. A portion of this lump sum was dedicated to the exploration of whiskey maturation using technology called SmokeDNAi. Using SmokeDNAi, teams tested and analyzed the flavor… […]
    • WATCH: Tucker Carlson: How will AI affect work?
      Mike Rowe, still one of the best guys in the world. pic.twitter.com/06WduOhPuB — Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) March 28, 2024 For 25 years, WND has boldly brought you the news that really matters. If you appreciate our Christian journalists and their uniquely truthful reporting and analysis, please help us by becoming a WND Insider! Content created… […]
    • MSNBC: 1 man's 'election denier' is another man's TV host
      MSNBC, the "news" outfit on which the Rev. Al Sharpton has a show, briefly hired former Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, at $300,000 per year, to serve as an on-air pundit. Why did the rabidly anti-Trump, anti-Republican network make her the offer? MSNBC likely did so because 2024 is an election year; McDaniel was… […]
    • Dems' weakest case against Trump is first to go to trial
      Donald Trump was first indicted nearly a year ago, on April 4, 2023, when Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced charges against the former president over a nondisclosure agreement Trump used to buy the silence of porn actress Stormy Daniels, with whom he had apparently had a brief sexual encounter. Bragg, an elected Democrat, won… […]
    • White House adds hair-sniffing contest to Easter Egg Roll!
      It's about time again for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. What the resurrection of Jesus has to do with eggs, chocolate candy, jelly beans or peeps is beyond me. Jesus did not arise from the dead and walk through the walls of the tomb holding an Easter basket and looking for eggs laid… […]
  • Enter My WorldView