WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY17/Rockland-Westchester), House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman, issued the following statement on House passage of Congressman Joaquin Castro’s privileged resolution to terminate President Trump’s unlawful emergency declaration over a border wall:
“The President’s decision to declare a national emergency is an end run around Congress because we refused to fund his wasteful border wall. I proudly cosponsored and voted for Representative Castro’s resolution, as its passage is a critical first step in stopping this unconstitutional power grab.
“President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency upends democratic norms and creates a dangerous precedent. The president has trampled on the separation of powers and undermined Congress’s authority over spending priorities, all to prop up a political vanity project. Today’s vote shows that House Democrats refuse to stand idly by while President Trump ignores the will of a co-equal branch of government and jeopardizes New York safety and security by threatening to rob critical military construction projects of funding to pay for his wall. I hope that my colleagues in the Senate will swiftly pass this critical resolution and join the House of Representatives in protecting our institution and defending the Constitution.”
