BORDER/CONGRESS/NANCY PELOSI/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “Speaker Nancy Pelosi is throwing her muscle behind a legislative effort to block President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration, the first formal step to counter Trump and squeeze Republicans on the border wall. Democrats will introduce legislation Friday [2-22-19] to terminate the emergency proclamation and Pelosi is urging House colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the resolution, according to a letter obtained by POLITICO on Wednesday…Pelosi sent the letter to both Democrats and Republicans on Wednesday [2-20-19] night, a rare occurrence that underscores the seriousness with which the speaker plans to try to block Trump’s effort to go around Congress and build his border wall…Democrats are also expected to file a lawsuit to halt Trump’s effort to circumvent Congress to build his border wall. Trump issued the emergency proclamation Friday after signing a bill that funds the government through September, including allocating $1.375 billion for border fencing. Trump’s declaration allows him to take about $6 billion more from other government accounts to put toward building his border wall.”
–Heather Caygle and Sarah Ferris, “Pelosi: House moving ‘swiftly’ to block Trump’s emergency declaration,” Politico, February 20, 2019 8:04 pm