Blunt Rochester Upholds Constitution in Bipartisan Vote to Terminate the President's National Emergency Declaration

Statement

Today, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL) issued the following statement after voting to uphold the Constitution and terminate the President's national emergency declaration. Blunt Rochester is a co-sponsor of House Joint Resolution 46, which is a privileged resolution that would block the President's national emergency declaration made on February 15, 2019. The measure, which had bipartisan support, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 245 to 182.

"A bipartisan majority of the House of Representatives and 58 former U.S. national security officials from Democratic and Republican administrations agree that there is no factual basis for the President to declare a national emergency. By failing to convince the House and Senate, including members of his own party, to back his proposals and by circumventing Congress' power of the purse, President Trump is undermining the will of the American people and must be stopped," said Congresswoman Blunt Rochester. "A national emergency should be reserved for situations that put the health and safety of our citizens at risk, and experts across the country recognize this situation doesn't meet that burden. Congress is a co-equal branch of government with its members voted into office by the American people. It is the President's duty to work with us in a bipartisan way to get things done, instead of diverting billions of dollars from projects that support our troops to pay for the wall. I believe our nation needs to move past manufactured crises and focus on the real issues we face -- the opioid epidemic, combatting climate change, and ensuring all people have access to affordable, quality health care. That's why I voted to defend our Constitutional processes and will continue working to serve the everyday needs of Delawareans and Americans alike."

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