In a stunning move of betrayal, 12 Republican Senators voted with Democrats on Thursday to block President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration.
The measure passed 59-41 as a dozen Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the resolution.
Now, Trump will be forced to issue his first presidential veto since taking office two years ago in order to keep the emergency declaration in place.
Here are the 12 Republican Senators who voted with Democrats to block Trump’s national emergency:
Lamar Alexander
Roy Blunt
Susan Collins
Mike Lee
Jerry Moran
Lisa Murkowski
Rand Paul
Rob Portman
Mitt Romney
Marco Rubio
Pat Toomey
Roger Wicker
more from Fox News:
“I’m going to be voting in favor of the resolution of disapproval,” Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, told reporters ahead of the vote. “This is a constitutional question, it’s a question of the balance of power that is core to our constitution.”
“This is not about the president or border security, in fact I support border security, I support a barrier,” he said.
The other Republicans who voted to oppose the declaration were Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Rob Portman, R-Ohio; Susan Collins, R-Maine; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Rand Paul, R-Ky., Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Roy Blunt, D-Mo., Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, and Pat Toomey, R-Pa.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., however, had said he would oppose the declaration but reversed course on the Senate floor, saying that he was “sympathetic” to Trump’s push to deal with the crisis at the border.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., before the vote, said he “takes his hat off” to Republicans voting with Democrats, while accusing Trump of “going around Congress” with the declaration.
“This is a momentous day,” he said, declaring that the balance of power was shifting back toward Congress.
However, Trump is all but certain to answer the resolution with his first presidential veto. The measure heads next to his desk, having previously passed the House.
Trump originally issued the emergency declaration last month after Congress granted only a fraction of the $5.7 billion he requested for a wall on the southern border. Declaring a national emergency allows Trump to steer an extra $3.6 billion to the wall.
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Voters will not be happy about this betrayal and will definitely remember these 12 Republicans who turned their backs on Trump and sided with Democrats.
Trump’s national emergency declaration has sent Democrats and Never-Trumpers into panic mode because they apparently don’t want to see the president fully secure the U.S.-Mexico border with a wall.
Trump has called the migrant caravans traveling from Central America toward the United States a “national emergency” and raged against Democrats for refusing to take action to secure the border.
To say that Trump is livid would be an understatement, and many Americans are not going to be happy with these 12 Republicans who just betrayed the president when he needed them.