President Donald Trump will be facing opposition today with a rebuke from a bipartisan group of 58 former national security officials who have joined together to denounce the president's declaration of emergency at the border.
According to Politico, the 13-page joint statement by various diplomats, intelligence chiefs, Cabinet secretaries and senior government personnel from previous administrations says that they "are aware of no emergency that remotely justifies" Trump's use of emergency powers.
The president made this declaration on Feb. 15, using his executive authority to sidestep Congress who were unwilling to provide the funds desired for the U.S. border wall.
Among the signatories for the statement are former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright, who served under Clinton, and John Kerry, who served under Obama, and former Defense Secretaries Chuck Hagel (Obama) and Leon Panetta (Obama). Other backers include former CIA directors, former National Security advisors and former Ambassadors to the United Nations.
The statement, originally reported in the Washington Post, will be made public and enter the Congressional Record today, the day before the House is expected to pass legislation on Trump's emergency order.
This statement will be the latest ideological opposition against the president's emergency declaration. Trump is already facing a lawsuit from a conglomerate of 16 states filed on Feb. 18. While the Democrats do have the numerical advantage within Congress, it's possible that the president could merely veto a resolution of disapproval if it clears.
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