McConnell says Senate will likely pass resolution blocking Trump’s emergency declaration

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has announced that he expects a resolution blocking President Trump’s emergency declaration on the U.S./Mexico border to pass in the United States Senate. The Kentucky Republican told reporters, however, that he doesn’t believe the Senate has enough votes to override a presidential veto.

On Monday, McConnell told reporters, “I think what is clear in the Senate is that there will be enough votes to pass the resolution of disapproval, which will then be vetoed by the president—and then, in all likelihood, the veto will be upheld in the House.”

The resolution of disapproval is expected to come up for a vote in the Senate before Friday, March 15, when members of Congress will take a week-long recess. And it appears to have at least 51 votes, which is enough to pass in the Senate but not enough to override a presidential veto.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has announced that he will vote for the resolution, which is also being supported by other Republicans who include Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Trump has gone to great lengths in the hope of forcing funding for a U.S./Mexico border wall. After keeping the federal government partially shut down for over a month, Trump agreed to a deal with McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that reopened the government until February 15.

Trump threatened to shut down the government a second time, which didn’t happen. But he announced, on February 15, an emergency declaration on the United States’ southern border.