President Trump Declaring National Emergency To Build Border Wall

President Donald Trump says he'll be declaring a national emergency so he can build a southern border wall.

Friday, February 15th 2019, 11:15 am

By: News 9

President Trump Declaring National Emergency To Build Border Wall

President Trump -- dissatisfied with the funding Congress is providing him for barriers at the southern border -- will sign the bill to fund the government and declare a national emergency to free up more funds to build his wall.

"I'm going to be signing a national emergency," the president announced in his Rose Garden address Friday.

The president's decision to declare a national emergency is already facing criticism from some Republicans, and potential lawsuits. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn't rule out a legal challenge on Thursday.

Follow along below for live updates.

Trump says he wants to solve the national debt with "growth"

Mr. Trump, asked if he plans to address the debt, said he wants to do so with "growth." He then riffed on former President Barack Obama for how much he added to the national debt.

The president said funding the military is more important now.

Trump calls CNN's Jim Acosta "fake news"

As CNN's Jim Acosta -- whose press pass was suspended temporarily last year -- asked a question, the president declared CNN to be "fake news."

"Your question is a very political one, because you have an agenda. You are CNN. You are fake news," Mr. Trump said.

Trump talks about conservatives who have influenced his thinking

Mr. Trump, asked by a journalist the extent to which conservatives have influenced his thinking, mentioned far-right personalities Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh.

The president said he hasn't spoken with pundit Ann Coulter in at least a year.

Trump says he did go through Congress

Confronted with his criticism of President Obama for using executive actions on immigration, Mr. Trump said he did go through Congress. But the deal Congress presented him wasn't good enough, he said.

Trump takes questions

Mr. Trump then opened up the Rose Garden event for questions, starting with questions.

Trump says he'll be sued but win in the Supreme Court

Mr. Trump said he has already signed the order, but will sign final papers soon. And then, he said, his administration will be sued, and it will go to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Then, the president said, he will eventually win in the Supreme Court.

"We'll end up in the Supreme Court and hopefully get a fair shake and win in the Supreme Court just like the ban," Mr. Trump said.

Trump explains why he didn't succeed in getting border wall funding before

The president said he was a "little new" to the job of president and some people in Congress didn't step up.

Trump says declaring a national emergency is a "great thing to do"

Mr. Trump said he's going to be signing and "registering" a national emergency, adding it's a "great thing to do."

What he wants to do is very simple: "We want to stop drugs from coming into our country. We want to stop criminals and gangs from coming into our country," the president insisted as the rationale for declaring an emergency.

Trump: I'm going to be signing a national emergency

"I'm going to be signing a national emergency," Mr. Trump announced in the Rose Garden before talking about children who have been killed by people who came into the U.S. illegally.

The president made the case that such an emergency declaration is not unheard of, and past presidents have declared emergencies and don't stir as much scrutiny. Other presidents, Mr. Trump said, have declared emergencies for less important reasons.

Trump says he's announcing several actions on the border

Mr. Trump began to speak about his purpose for the Rose Garden event -- announcing his executive actions at the border.

"We have tremendous amounts of drugs flowing into our country, much of it coming from the southern border," the president said.

Walls work "100 percent," the president declared.

"I look forward to seeing Chairman Kim," Trump says

The president then went on to discuss his upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam. The summit is set for Feb. 27 and 28.

Mr. Trump said North Korea has a "great chance for tremendous economic prosperity" in the future.

Trump says success over ISIS caliphate to be announced within 24 hours

Mr. Trump then went on to say he expects an announcement within 24 hours on the defeat of the ISIS caliphate in Syria.

Mr. Trump previously said he expected to make that announcement soon.

Trump touts international trade

After addressing China, the president went on to say he thinks trade with Europe will increase.

Trump takes the podium

The president emerged from the Oval Office and took the podium at 10:39 a.m.

The president began by talking about trade talks with China, saying they're going well but not guaranteeing any agreement. The president said the U.S. is losing too much money to China over trade.

"We're gonna be leveling the playing field," he said.

Trump scheduled to speak shortly

Mr. Trump's announcement is scheduled to begin shortly, although such major events with short notice are frequently delayed.

Some conservatives balk at Trump's handling of border situation

Conservative pundit Ann Coulter eviscerated the president and some of his followers on Twitter after the White House announced he would declare a national emergency.

Coulter has criticized the president in the past for failing to build the wall at the southern border.

"The goal is to get Trump's stupidest voters to say 'HE'S FIGHTING!' No he's not. If he signs this bill, it's over," she tweeted.

Pelosi considers handling of national emergency

Before news of the president's national emergency declaration Friday morning, House Democrats were considering their response. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, Democrat of New York, suggested to CBS News that the most likely path is a resolution to terminate the emergency under the National Emergencies Act.

This measure, a resolution of disapproval, would be expected to pass a Democratically-controlled House, and then under the law, it would automatically be considered in the Senate within 18 days. Nadler said that he's hoping "the Senate will do their duty to defend the Constitution against an incredible unconstitutional power grab."

But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not committed to this path. She insisted all day Thursday that Democrats would review all their options before deciding how to proceed.

--Rebecca Kaplan

Trump expected to speak in less than an hour

Mr. Trump is expected to take the podium in the White House Rose Garden in less than an hour, and White House staffers have set up chairs for reporters.

It's unclear whether Mr. Trump will take questions.

Some Republicans are speaking out

A handful of Republicans are already expressing their disappointment in Mr. Trump's decision to declare a national emergency, suggesting doing so is constitutionally questionable.

"Declaring a national emergency for this purpose would be a mistake on the part of the president," Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said, adding that a declaration undermines Congress.

"It is also of dubious constitutionality," she said.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida also spoke out against the president's decision.

"We have a crisis at our southern border, but no crisis justifies violating the Constitution," Rubio said. "Today's national emergency is border security. But a future president may use this exact same tactic to impose the Green New Deal. I will wait to see what statutory or constitutional power the president relies on to justify such a declaration before making any definitive statement. But I am skeptical it will be something I can support."

Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan called it an "embarrassing" day for conservatism.

"What a bad (frankly, embarrassing) day for constitutional and fiscal conservatism," Amash tweeted. "The Senate confirms Bill Barr as attorney general, congressional leaders conspire to advance a $333 billion wasteful spending bill, and @POTUS plans to declare an emergency for a non-emergency."

Trump to announce $8 billion for the wall

CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett reports the president will announce he's getting $8 billion for the border wall.

Of that funding, $1.375 billion will come from the appropriations bill Mr. Trump expects to sign.

The rest comes from executive actions -- $600 million is expected to come from the Treasury Department's drug forfeiture funds, $2.5 billion will come from the Defense Department's drug interdiction program, and an additional $3.5 billion will come from the Pentagon's military construction budget, a senior administration official told Garrett.

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