Pair of state Republicans vote against Trump emergency

A resolution passed Tuesday by the U.S. House of Representatives blocking President Trump’s recent emergency declaration saw two Washington state Republicans side with House Democrats.

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Crossing the aisle to vote alongside Democrats Tuesday were Congresswomen Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Jaime Herrera Beutler.

McMorris Rodgers and Beutler cited a need for checks and balances as the primary reason behind their respective votes, rather than opposition to Trump’s proposed border wall.

McMorris Rodgers issued the following statement shortly after votes were cast:

I’m 100 percent in favor of President Trump’s wall, and today’s vote had nothing to do with the need to build it. Article I of the Constitution gives the legislative branch the exclusive power to make laws and set funding priorities. When that power is delegated to the executive or judicial branches, Representatives become elected bystanders and ‘We the People’ no longer have a voice. For that reason– the same reason I was against President Obama using his ‘pen and phone,’– I voted to disapprove of the national security declaration.

“Despite the lack of progress on border security, using an emergency declaration to circumvent congressional action – whether Congress is right or, in this case, dead wrong – is a very dangerous path,” Herrera Beutler said in a statement of her own posted to Facebook.

Herrera Beutler also cited the need to not set a precedent for a potential future emergency declaration from a Democratic president concerning climate change.

McMorris Rodgers represents a large swathe of Eastern Washington, including Spokane. Herrera Beutler represents the southwest corner of the state. The pair joined just 11 other Republicans in voting with Democrats.

Voting against the measure was Yakima Republican Representative, Dan Newhouse.

The resolution will next head to the U.S. Senate sometime in the next 18 days, where it will face a much tougher road in a Republican-controlled arena. President Trump has already formally stated his intention to veto the resolution should it cross his desk.

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