FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2019
Contact: Clarissa Rojas
202-225-8220
Rep. Barragán Votes to End President Trump’s National Emergency Declaration
WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán voted to terminate President Trump’s national emergency declaration. The privileged resolution, H.J.Res. 46, would terminate the emergency declaration under the authority provided in the National Emergencies Act (NEA). Now that the House passed the resolution, it will be sent to the Senate for a vote and upon passage in the chamber, it will then go to the President’s desk.
“By sidestepping Congress, President Trump is undermining the will of the American people and their trust in our constitution, the balance of powers and the legislative branch of government,” said Rep. Barragán. “Even after the House of Representatives, both Republicans and Democrats alike, voted to not give the president the billions of dollars he requested to build his wall, he wants to divert critical funds from our military that will ultimately hurt our country and those who protect it. Congress holds the power of the purse, and the president’s decision to declare a national emergency is a direct violation of the authorities that were given to us by our Founding Fathers. I’m proud to support Rep. Joaquin Castro and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in terminating the president’s declaration of a fake emergency and upholding our nation’s values.”
“As someone who has visited our southern border several times, the only emergency I’ve seen is the humanitarian crisis that was created by this administration’s cruel immigration policies that separate families, put innocent children in cages and deny entry to asylum seekers fleeing violence from their home countries. Unlike what this administration has told us, Customs and Border Protection’s own data says that border crossings are down to one-fifth of what they were in 2000 and border apprehensions are at their lowest level in more than four decades. It’s clear that the president is only perpetuating a lie in order to build his expensive border wall. Make no mistake, there are no grounds for a declaration of emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border.”
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Nanette Diaz Barragán is proud to represent California’s 44th Congressional District, which includes the communities of Carson, Compton, Florence-Firestone, Lynwood, North Long Beach, Rancho Dominguez, San Pedro, South Gate, Walnut Park, Watts, Willowbrook and Wilmington.