Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO
District 20 (Union)
SYNOPSIS
Opposes President Trump's decision to declare national emergency to fund wall on Mexico-US border.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution opposing President Trump's decision to declare a national emergency to fund a wall on the Mexico-United States border.
Whereas, On Friday, February 15, 2019, President Trump declared a state of national emergency to allocate nearly $8 billion for construction of a wall on the Mexico-United States border; and
Whereas, President Trump has disregarded the role of the United States Congress and the separation of powers by redirecting federal money toward a border wall; and
Whereas, New Jersey has joined fifteen other states in filing a lawsuit challenging President Trump's national emergency declaration to pay for a border wall; and
Whereas, The "National Emergencies Act", which gives the President the authority to declare a national emergency, is intended for times of national crisis; and
Whereas, In the past, emergency declarations by previous presidents have been used for addressing foreign policy crises, including blocking terrorism-linked entities from accessing funds or prohibiting investment in nations associated with human rights abuses; and
Whereas, A true emergency is one that is unforeseen and unforeseeable, a situation in which extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures; and
Whereas, Although President Trump has stated that the majority of illegal drugs enter the United States through unprotected borders, according to United States Customs and Border Protection statistics, the majority of illegal drugs seized along the border were caught at legal points of entry; and
Whereas, Building a wall on the Mexico-US border to prevent illegal drugs and undocumented immigrants from entering the country is not a true emergency situation; and
Whereas, President Trump has abused his power by declaring a national emergency in order to fund a border wall; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House opposes President Trump's decision to declare a national emergency to fund a wall on the Mexico-United States border.
2. Copies of this resolution,
as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the
General Assembly to the President of the United States, the President of the
United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of
Representatives, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate
and United States House of Representatives, and each member of the United
States Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This resolution opposes President Trump's decision to declare a national emergency to fund a wall on the Mexico-United States border. President Trump has disregarded the separation of powers by redirecting federal money toward a border wall. President Trump has abused his power by declaring a national emergency where there is no true emergency. New Jersey has joined fifteen other states in filing a lawsuit challenging President Trump's national emergency declaration to fund a border wall.