House fails to override Trump veto on emergency order

The House failed today to overturn President Trump’s first veto, leaving his declaration of a national emergency at the southwestern border intact. Both chambers of Congress passed a resolution nullifying the president’s order, but Trump vetoed the resolution and the veto could not be rendered ineffective without two-thirds of both chambers voting to override it.

Opponents of the emergency declaration missed by about 40 votes in the House. The final count was 248-181.

This was almost the same margin by which the resolution passed the House. That count was 245 to 182. Only one additional House Republican joined forces with House Democrats this time around (Rep. John Katko of New York who was absent for the last vote), bringing the total to a mere 14.

Now the battle over Trump’s declaration moves to the courts, where Democrats enjoy the edge, at least until the case arrives before the Supreme Court. At that point, we’ll see.

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