Business

Senators want vote on bill to rein in president’s emergency powers

by Jordain Carney 10/18/19 11:49 AM ET

A bipartisan group of senators want the Senate to vote on legislation reining in a president’s emergency powers.

Fifteen senators sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) calling for the legislation, known as the Article One Act, to be “considered by the full Senate as soon as possible.”

“Congress cannot continue to cede its powers to another branch, regardless of who is President or which party holds a majority,” the senators wrote in the letter, which was released on Friday.

{mosads}They added that the bill, if enacted, would represent a “small, nonpartisan step toward re-establishing the appropriate checks and balances between the Congress and the Executive.”

The letter makes an indirect reference to President Trump, noting that “recent emergency declarations have highlighted this issue.”

But the letter comes as the Senate failed to override Trump’s veto of a resolution that would have nixed his emergency declaration to secure funding for the border wall. The resolution canceling the declaration initially passed the Senate last month with 54 votes.

Under the National Emergencies Act, Congress can force a vote on Trump’s emergency declaration every six months. It was the second time Congress had voted to end the emergency declaration but failed to override a veto from Trump.

The Senate legislation would end future national emergencies after 30 days unless Congress voted to extend them. It was passed out of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in July.