US Senate seems to have votes to reject Donald Trump’s national emergency

Senator Rand Paul becomes the fourth Republican senator to pledge to vote against the disapproval resolution

If the four follow through on their plans and all Democrats vote against Trump’s move as expected, the measure would pass the Senate, forcing Trump to veto it

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US President Donald Trump’s demand for US$5.7 billion in funding for his ‘great, great wall’ triggered the longest-ever partial US government shutdown in December and January. Photo: AP

Published: 9:22am, 4 Mar 2019Updated: 9:22am, 4 Mar 2019

Opponents of US President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the US-Mexico border appear to have enough Senate votes to reject his move, now that Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky has said he can’t go along with the White House.

The House has voted to derail the action, and if the Senate follows later this month, the measure would go to Trump for his promised veto.

Three other Republican senators have announced they’ll vote “no”- Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

Paul makes it four, and assuming that all 47 Democrats and their independent allies go against Trump, that would give opponents 51 votes – just past the majority needed.

Congress is unlikely to have the votes to override.

“I can’t vote to give the president the power to spend money that hasn’t been appropriated by Congress,” Paul said at a Republican Party dinner Saturday night at Western Kentucky University, according to the Bowling Green Daily News.