Omaha, NE.—Republican Congressman Don Bacon voted late today to back President Trump’s border wall emergency, despite his earlier on-camera comments to News Channel Nebraska that an end-run around Congress is “not healthy.”
Bacon’s vote coming as the Democratic controlled House voted 245-182 to stop Trump’s emergency declaration to build a wall on the US southern border.
According to Bacon that emergency is real: “Homeland Security says nearly 120,000 individuals attempted to cross here illegally in the last two months alone, which is a 56% spike from the same time last year. But Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader Schumer refused to negotiate in good faith.”
During his earlier interview—see it below— with NCN, Bacon acknowledged that a vote against Mr. Trump could backfire when he runs for re-election next year.
Jordan: Maybe (those who voted for you in 2018) just stay home in the Bacon race and don’t vote for you?
Bacon: Well, that does concern me. I’m doing the very best I can. I’m trying to follow my integrity.
After casting his vote for the wall today Bacon said, “The President used the legal authority Congress gave the Executive Branch in 1976 to fix a problem that needs solving now. It is unfortunate that we see the continued weakening of Article I and a Congress that is unable to make policy because of gridlock and partisanship.”
The resolution now goes to the Senate, where a close vote is expected. Should it pass the Senate a Trump veto is absolutely expected and there is no indication his veto can be overridden leaving the legality of the emergency up to the courts.
