Call your member of the House of Representatives and ask him or her to override Trump’s veto of Congress’s vote to terminate his bullshit national emergency declaration about the southern border.
Ok, a recap. Trump has been jonesing for his damn border wall since the campaign, when he claimed he’d get Mexico to pay for it.
Of course, Mexico refused to pay for it. So Trump tried to force taxpayers to pay for it.
Congress, rightly, said no. There’s no factual basis for a wall that stretches across the entire 2,000-odd mile border between the U.S. and Mexico. It’d be a waste of money, and it won’t do what Trump claims it will. (There are better and more efficient ways to address the legitimate points he has on this score.)
When Congress said no, Trump decided to trample the Constitution instead by declaring a “national emergency”.
Presidents can declare national emergencies, and until now, they’ve been judicious and responsible in their calls. None have resorted to calling a national emergency when they didn’t get their way on something.
In March 2019, Congress called Trump out again. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted to terminate the national emergency, and so did the Senate, after much whingeing and weaseling.
Trump vetoed the Congressional termination.
Congress can override his veto, but both chambers have to muster two-thirds of their members to be successful.
The House had little trouble voting to terminate the national emergency order, but that succeeded with less than two-thirds of its members joining the effort.
The second time around is harder, by design.
If the House of Representatives can’t get two-thirds of its members to vote to override, the override vote cannot proceed to the Senate, and the national emergency takes effect.
We need 290 House members to vote to override.
On the first go-round, the vote to terminate succeeded by 245 to 182.
We need to hold those 245 and add 45 more.
This is where you come in.
We at OTYCD want you to call your member of the House of Representatives and urge that person to vote to override Trump’s veto.
It is harder to get to 290 than it is to get to 245. It means that almost four dozen Republicans have to switch sides.
We probably won’t succeed. But we have to try.
We at OTYCD expect to make this a daily action until the point is moot.
As always, you need to pick up the phone and call, because that’s what Congressfolk pay attention to. If you can’t call, send email.
Sample script:
“Dear (House Rep Lastname), I am (Firstname Lastname of town, zip code). I am calling to ask you to override Trump’s veto of the termination of the national emergency he called over the border wall.
As an elected official in Congress, I expect you to uphold the Constitution and fulfill your role as a check on Trump. With this act, he is trying to do an end run around our system of laws, and of checks and balances. [If your House Rep voted to terminate the national emergency on the first go round, say thank you here. If your House Rep supported Trump, say something like, ‘This is your chance to show that you will fulfill the oath you took when you were sworn in/sworn in again in January.’ This is bigger than Trump, and is bigger than any one person. Please do the right thing and override Trump’s veto.”
See a Business Insider story about the vote in the House to terminate Trump’s national emergency:
https://www.businessinsider.com/house-vote-national-emergency-termination-trump-border-wall-2019-2
See an NBC News story on the vote in the Senate to terminate Trump’s national emergency, which led to his veto:
See a CNN story about Nancy Pelosi scheduling the House of Representatives vote to override the veto on March 26, 2019:
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