House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-NC) said in a statement on Friday that if Congress fails to find a solution to America’s border security problem, “executive action” is still “very much under consideration.”
President Trump announced on Friday that he has struck a deal with congressional leaders to re-open the government for three weeks, which will allow Republicans and Democrats to negotiate a more permanent solution to America’s border security problem. Trump also said that Congress will commission a bipartisan conference committee to find a bipartisan compromise to solving America’s border crisis.
Rep. Meadows has worked with congressional leaders and the president on finding a way to secure America’s borders. The North Carolina conservative said that if Congress cannot find a solution to securing America’s southern border, then the president can still use his executive authority to do so.
CNN reported on Thursday that the White House drafted a plan that would allow Trump to declare a national emergency and use $7 billion in federal funds to secure America’s southern border by building a wall. Breitbart News Legal Editor Ken Klukowski reported on Thursday that President Trump, through the National Emergencies Act of 1976, has the legal authority to use federal funds during a national emergency to build a wall along the southern border.
Meadows said:
Throughout this process, President Trump has made numerous offers and repeatedly expressed willingness to engage with Democrats about a compromise—but failure to fund needed physical barriers along our southern border is still not an option. The President is sticking by his commitment to keep our communities safe and has assured me that nothing will deter him from accomplishing that goal. His resolve remains steadfast. Democrats now have yet another opportunity to come to the table and negotiate, where all Americans will be able to judge for themselves whether they’re truly serious about securing our border.
“If negotiations don’t result in a solution, executive action is still very much under consideration,” Meadows added.