House votes to block Trump’s national emergency declaration over border wall

The measure now goes before the Senate, where a handful of Republicans have indicated they plan on voting to block Mr Trump's declaration as well

The US House of Representatives has voted to block Donald Trump’s emergency declaration in a major rebuke for the president’s effort to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.

The measure will now go before the Senate, where a handful of Republicans could side with Democrats to send the measure to Mr Trump’s desk, and force him to sign the first veto of his presidency.

Mr Trump made the emergency declaration just under two weeks ago, after Congress agreed to a government funding bill that explicitly left out funding for the border project. That deal averted a second damaging government shutdown in as many months after the president forced what became the longest such closure in US history starting in late December.

Since the emergency declaration announcement, Mr Trump has found critics on both sides of the aisle.

Democrats have raised a range of concerns, and have referred to Mr Trump’s move as an “end run” around Congress, which is constitutionally mandated to approve spending in the federal government.

“This is about the Constitution of the United States,” House speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Monday during a news conference. “It’s not about politics, it’s not about partisanship. It’s about patriotism.”

Republicans, who have so far largely supported the president’s policies and proposals, have also raised concerns with the emergency declaration.

So far in the Senate, at least three Republicans have said they see problems with the emergency – on constitutional grounds, and because the move sets a precedent for a future Democratic president to declare a state of emergency to further their own agendas.

“When I say probably, I want to make sure that what in fact we are voting on when it comes to the Senate is what I believe it is. If it’s what I have seen right now, I will support the resolution to disapprove,” Alaska senator Lisa Murkowski told an Alaskan TV station on Monday.

Ms Murkowski is joined by North Carolina senator Thom Tillis and Maine senator Susan Collins in committing to vote in favour of the resolution that has now passed the House.

At least one other Republican senator has indicated he has strong reservations about the measure, but has not committed to voting against the president’s declaration.