Americans furious with President Donald Trumpsa国际传媒檚 latest gambit for financing his long-promised border wall vented their frustrations Monday, gathering at protests across the country to denounce the presidentsa国际传媒檚 sa国际传媒渇ake emergencysa国际传媒� and to demand that Congress stand up to his administration.
In Washingtonsa国际传媒檚 Lafayette Square, directly across the street from the White House, several hundred protesters brandished placards and chanted slogans as they used the Presidentsa国际传媒檚 Day holiday to drive home their dismay sa国际传媒� both with the commander-in-chief and Capitol Hill.
On Friday, Trump sa国际传媒� desperate to secure billions in funding for a wall he initially promised Mexico would pay for sa国际传媒� declared a national emergency at the southern border, giving him access to nearly $7 billion in additional funding, including from the Department of Defense.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 the first emergency Isa国际传媒檝e ever heard of where you can plan for it three weeks in advance. Itsa国际传媒檚 the first Isa国际传媒檝e ever heard of where someone who called the emergency can leave to go golfing,sa国际传媒� said Elizabeth Beavers, associate policy director with the progressive grassroots advocacy group Indivisible.
sa国际传媒淚 actually do think we have quite an emergency, and I think it lives over here,sa国际传媒� she said, gesturing across Pennsylvania Avenue. sa国际传媒淒onald Trump is the national-security crisis. He is the national emergency.sa国际传媒�
Two years into an almost non-stop barrage of whatsa国际传媒檚-next revelations from perhaps the most unpredictable president in U.S. history, Trump was the main target of Mondaysa国际传媒檚 ire: T-shirts emblazoned with sa国际传媒淚mpeach 45,sa国际传媒� cardboard signs reading sa国际传媒淎buse of Power,sa国际传媒� a placard designed in the image of Pink Floydsa国际传媒檚 seminal 1979 album sa国际传媒漈he Wallsa国际传媒� describing the president as sa国际传媒淐omfortably Dumb.sa国际传媒�
But many are also looking further up the street at Capitol Hill, where a newly elected Democrat majority in the House of Representatives is under mounting pressure to do more to hold Trump to account.
sa国际传媒淔or a really long time, Democrats and Republicans in Congress have gotten a little too comfortable letting presidents do things in the name of national security, without stepping up to assert their power and their privilege to dial that in,sa国际传媒� said Beaver.
sa国际传媒淲e demand that Congress not sit idly by while a racist, xenophobic, unnecessary wall and deportation force is put forward in the name of our security. We reject that completely and we demand that Congress do the same.sa国际传媒�
Trump made the declaration Friday as an end-run around Congress, which has provided $1.4 billion in border-security money sa国际传媒� well short of his original demand for $5.7 billion for a physical barrier along the border with Mexico to keep out illegal immigrants, drugs and crime.
Democrats and some Republicans have denounced the move as a violation of the constitution and a flagrant abuse of executive power. The American Civil Liberties Union, the government of California and others have already promised swift legal action to fight Trumpsa国际传媒檚 decision. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill plan a resolution to repeal it, although itsa国际传媒檚 likely to face a presidential veto.
Mondaysa国际传媒檚 protests, co-ordinated by the non-profit advocacy group MoveOn.org, attracted more than 50,000 protesters to over 275 gatherings in cities and towns across the U.S., including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Houston, organizers said.
sa国际传媒淭he president, as itsa国际传媒檚 envisioned in our constitution, is a custodian for our democracy. sa国际传媒� He serves we the people, not his own interests,sa国际传媒� MoveOn congressional liaison Reggie Hubbard told Mondaysa国际传媒檚 gathering.
sa国际传媒淭his president has consistently shown he has no regard for civil rights or the constitution. He shut down this government for a month to strong-arm us into building this racist wall, and what does he have to show for it? He dropped points in the polls.sa国际传媒�
Trump, who has said he expects his declaration to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court, appeared to undercut the sense of urgency by admitting he could take more time to build the wall.
sa国际传媒淚 didnsa国际传媒檛 need to do this but Isa国际传媒檇 rather do it much faster,sa国际传媒� he acknowledged during Fridaysa国际传媒檚 rollicking Rose Garden news conference.
Those comments have been misconstrued, presidential adviser Stephen Miller said Sunday in a Fox News interview.
sa国际传媒淲hat the president was saying is, like past presidents, he could choose to ignore this crisis, choose to ignore this emergency as others have,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒漈hatsa国际传媒檚 not what hesa国际传媒檚 going to do.sa国际传媒�
California and 15 other states sa国际传媒� including Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico sa国际传媒� filed a lawsuit Monday against the declaration. Gov. Jared Polis and Attorney General Phil Weiser, both Democrats, said in a statement that the wall project could divert tens of millions of dollars from military construction projects in Colorado.
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, decried the presidentsa国际传媒檚 actions at a peaceful rally attended by a few hundred people outside Los Angeles City Hall. Police kept the crowd separate from a handful of pro-Trump counter-protesters who waved flags and wore red sa国际传媒淢ake America Great Againsa国际传媒� hats.
A large crowd also gathered outside the Federal Building in San Francisco. One demonstrator carried a sign that read: sa国际传媒淪tep 1: Declare a national emergency. Step 2: Play golf. Step 3: Watch SNL.sa国际传媒�
A crowd of more than 100 protesters gathered in frigid weather at the state capitol in Denver roared with approval when Weiser told them his office was joining the multistate lawsuit, Denverite reported .
sa国际传媒淭here is zero real-world basis for the emergency declaration, and there will be no wall,sa国际传媒� New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said in a statement.
sa国际传媒� With files from The Associated Press
James McCarten, The Canadian Press
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