(ANDERSON, Ind.) – Indiana Senator Todd Young says he’s still hoping for an alternative to President Trump’s claim of a national emergency to build his border wall.
The House has already rejected Trump’s claim of emergency powers. Young (R) says he expects the Senate to vote week after next, and says he’s still undecided. Young says he has no doubt a wall is needed — he says there are parts of the border where other forms of security, including Border Patrol agents and drones, aren’t enough. The U.S. has built fences, though not a solid wall, in some parts of the border, dating back more than a decade. Young accuses Democrats of opposing it now for political reasons.
But Young says he’s still reviewing the legal and constitutional issues raised by Trump’s attempt to spend money Congress has expressly refused to approve. He says it’s important to preserve the legislative branch’s constitutional authority over spending, and says he’s also concerned allowing the tactic for a policy he agrees with could set a precedent a Democratic president might use for something he doesn’t approve of.
Young says senators are looking for ways to free up additional money without a constitutional showdown over an emergency declaration.
Sen. Todd Young (R-Indiana) (Photo: Eric Berman/WIBC)
