DETAILS AS SOON AS WE
LEARN THEM.
(HE)
WE ARE ALSO WORKING
DEVELOPING NEWS OUT
OF OUR NATION'S
CAPITOL-- WHERE A NEW
BATTLE IS BREWING
BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT
AND MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS.
PRESIDENT TRUMP
OFFICIALLY DECLARED A
NATIONAL EMERGENCY TO
GET 8-BILLION-DOLLARS
FOR A "STEEL SOUTHERN
BORDER BARRIER."
(MM)
THE DECLARATION
COMES AFTER CONGRESS
PASSED A SPENDING BILL
TO KEEP THE
GOVERNMENT OPEN...
A BILL THAT ONLY
INCLUDED----- 1-POINT-3
BILLION DOLLARS FOR A
BARRIER.
(HE)
NOW--
DEMOCRATS AND MANY
OTHERS ARE VOWING TO
TAKE LEGAL ACTION.
(MM)
TONIGHT--
WE'RE HEARING
REACTION FROM
MEMBERS OF RHODE
ISLAND'S
CONGRESSIONAL
DELEGATION.
EYEWITNESS NEWS
REPORTER KAIT WALSH
HAS THEIR THOUGHTS--
LIVE FROM THE MOBILE
NEWSROOM.
(KW)
THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS
DECLARED A NATIONAL
EMERGENCY - IN FACT IT'S
HIS FOURTH.
PRESIDENTS HAVE
DECLARED THESE SINCE
THE ACT WAS CREATED IN
1978.
BUT MANY OPPONENTS
LIKE SENATOR JACK REED
ARGUE - THE ISSUE OF
BORDER SECURITY - IS
NOT A NATIONAL
EMERGENCY.
"We're going to confront the
national
security crisis on our southern
border and we're going to do it
one
way or another we have to do
it."
PRESIDENT TRUMP -
ANNOUNCING A NATIONAL
EMERGENCY - TO GET THE 8
BILLION DOLLARS HE NEEDS -
TO BUILD A WALL ALONG THE
U.S. BORDER WITH MEXICO -
CITING CONCERNS OVER
ILLEGAL DRUG PEDDLING.
"They say it all comes through
the
port of entry. It's wrong. It's
wrong.
It's all a lie. Just a lie. They
say
walls don't work. Walls work 100
percent."
THIS - AFTER BIPARTISAN
APPROVAL IN CONGRESS
CLEARED A SPENDING BILL
DESIGNATING OVER A BILLION
DOLLARS TO SECURITY AT THE
BORDER.
"This is going to set a very
dangerous precedent going
forward
that a president simply can
disregard the Congress and
decide
he wants to spend the money the
way he wants to do it."
WE SPOKE WITH U.S. SENATOR
JACK REED - THE RANKING
DEMOCRAT ON THE SENATE
ARMED FORCES COMMITTEE -
MOMENTS AFTER PRESIDENT
TRUMP ANNOUNCED HIS
EXECUTIVE ACTIONS FRIDAY
MORNING.
THE WHITE HOUSE OUTLINING
UP TO 3.6 BILLION DOLLARS
WOULD BE DIVERTED FROM
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION
FUNDS.
"Outrageous to take money from
troops and from national
security to
fund a campaign promise is
outrageous on its face but also
raises serious questions about
constitutional values."
RHODE ISLAND U.S.
CONGRESSMAN JIM LANGEVIN
ALSO RELEASED A STATEMENT -
SAYING IN PART - QUOTE:
"
Emergency authorities may only
be
exercised for legitimate
national
security purposes, not abused
for
political reasons because the
President cannot get his way in
Congress. I have every
confidence
that the courts will overturn
this
irresponsible act."
(KW)
NEW AT 6 - PRESIDENT
TRUMP ANNOUNCED HE
EXPECTS HIS EXECUTIVE
ACTION TO BE TAKEN TO
COURT.
HEAR THE ACTIONS
SENATOR REED SAYS
COULD BE TAKEN - AND IF
HE THINKS THEY WILL BE
SUCCESSFUL.
LIVE IN PROVIDENCE -I'M
KAIT WALSH -
(HE)
TONIGHT --- THE A-C-L-U IS
JOINING DEMOCRATS IN
CONGRESS, SAYING THEY
PLAN TO TAKE LEGAL
ACTION AGAINST
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S
DECLARATION OF A
NATIONAL EMERGENCY, TO
SECURE FUNDING FOR A
BORDER WALL.
["I could do the wall over a
longer
period of time. I didn't need to
do
this, but I'd rather do it much
faster.
"]
THE PRESIDENT SAID THIS
MORNING HE WAS
EXPECTING LEGAL
CHALLENGES TO HIS
DECLARATION.
EYEWITNESS NEWS
REPORTER KAIT WALSH
SPOKE TO RHODE ISLAND
SENATOR JACK REED
ABOUT THAT ---- SHE JOINS
US LIVE FROM THE MOBILE
NEWSROOM.
I WAS WITH SENATOR
JACK REED TODAY AS
PRESIDENT TRUMP MADE
HIS ANNOUNCEMENT
FROM THE ROSE GARDEN.
MOMENTS LATER -
SENATOR REED SAID HE
VOTED FOR OVER A
BILLION DOLLARS TO
FUND BORDER SECURITY
EFFORTS - BUT NOT IN THE
FORM OF A WALL - AND
NOT WITH MONEY FROM
THE MILITARY.
["PRESIDENT TRUMP -
DECLARING A NATIONAL
EMERGENCY - TO SECURE 8
BILLION DOLLARS - TOWARD
BUILDING A WALL ALONG THE
U.S. BORDER WITH MEXICO.
"We're talking about an invasion
of
our country with drugs, with
human
traffickers, with all types of
criminals
and gangs."
BUT OUR CONGRESSIONAL
DELEGATION DOESN'T SEE IT
THAT WAY - SAYING BORDER
SECURITY - IS NOT A NATIONAL
EMERGENCY.
"This is not a crisis. This is a
situation where the Congress on
a
bipartisan basis invested in
border
security but he is just fixated
on
having a wall for political
purposes."
PRESIDENT TRUMP -
EXPECTING A LEGAL BATTLE.
"Then we'll get a bad ruling.
Then
we'll end up in the Supreme
Court
and hopefully we'll get a fair
shake.
And then we'll win in the
Supreme
Court."
SENATOR REED - SAID EVEN
CONGRESS HAD A SPECIAL
VOTE TO STOP THIS EXECUTIVE
ACTION - IT MIGHT NOT BE
ENOUGH.
"It would go to the president,
he
could veto it and at that point,
I think
it would be difficult to
override a
veto, because the Republican
leadership has signaled they'll
support him." "]
THE WHITE HOUSE SAID
3.5 BILLION OF THE 8
BILLION NEEDED FOR THE
BORDER WALL - WOULD
BE TAKEN FROM THE
PENTAGON'S MILITARY
BUILDING FUND.
SENATOR REED - THE
RANKING DEMOCRAT ON
THE SENATE ARMED
FORCES COMMITTEE -
SAID THAT MONEY SHOULD
INSTEAD BE USED FOR
MILITARY READINESS.
I'M KAIT WALSH -
EYEWITNESS NEWS.