Martha McSally Backs Trump National Emergency

The Associated Press
The Associated Press
Sean Moran

Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) announced on Wednesday that she will back President Donald Trump’s national emergency to build a wall along the southern border.

The Senate will vote on a resolution Thursday that would terminate President Trump’s national emergency to build a wall on the southern border.

Sen. McSally, citing the crisis on America’s southern border, said she will vote against the resolution.

“Given the circumstances and the humanitarian and security situation at the border, which puts many at risk, I am going to be voting against the disapproval resolution, while I continue to advocate for additional funding and resources,” McSally said an interview with the Arizona Republic.

The Arizona Republican’s support for the national emergency arises as Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) announced that he will vote to terminate the national emergency after the White House declined to support his legislation that would limit a president’s authority to declare a national emergency. Lee became the fifth Senate Republican to oppose Trump’s emergency declaration on Wednesday.

“I wish we weren’t in this situation. Representing a border state, we do know there’s a crisis at the border. It is a humanitarian crisis. It is a drug crisis. It is a public safety issue,” McSally added.

The Arizona senator said that she arrived at her decision after speaking with Senate Republican colleagues, the White House, and the Department of Defense.

 “I wish Congress had just done its job and stop playing politics with this issue. … We have some people that are playing games with this on the left,” Sen. McSally continued. “They used to be for border security to include barriers where appropriate and now they’re doing everything they can to obstruct.”
McSally’s decision comes as she will face re-election in 2020 in a special Senate election. If she wins, then she can fill out the late Sen. John McCain’s term until 2022, after which she can run again for office.
The Arizona senator’s backing of the national emergency should help reassure the state’s conservative base. A Morning Consult poll released on Wednesday suggested that 70 percent of Republican voters would more likely vote for a candidate if they backed the president’s national emergency.
Sen. McSally said that the country needs an “all-of-the-above” strategy to secure the border, which requires border walls, more border agents, and technology.

“It’s an all-of-the-above approach, bottom up,” McSally explained. “We’re going to be working closely with the administration and others here on both sides of the aisle to see if we can stop the politics here, find some common ground and secure our border.”

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.

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