House fails to override Trump veto on border emergency

The House failed on Tuesday to override President Donald Trump’s veto of legislation blocking his national emergency declaration at the border, capping off a months-long congressional battle over the president’s signature issue.

Fourteen Republicans joined all Democrats on the 248-181 vote, far short of the two-thirds majority needed to overturn the first veto of Trump's presidency.

Now the fight over Trump's unilateral move to build a border wall will fall to the courts, where its fate is uncertain.

Democrats are expected to either file or join an existing lawsuit to stop Trump’s action, though leadership has been mum about their next legal steps. Their effort to overturn the emergency declaration, however, could help establish the will of Congress and bolster any legal challenges.

“The President’s lawless emergency declaration clearly violates the Congress’s exclusive power of the purse, and Congress will work through the appropriations and defense authorization processes to terminate this dangerous action and restore our constitutional system of balance of powers,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) said in a joint statement. “We will continue to review all options to protect our Constitution and our Democracy from the President’s assault.”