Heading to Texas, Trump Threatens to Build Border Wall by Invoking Emergency Power

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump, heading to McAllen to dramatize his demands for a border wall, said Thursday that it would be "very surprising" if he doesn't declare a national emergency in order to move ahead with the project by tapping into the Defense Department budget.Presidents have wide latitude to declare national emergencies, but with Congress so far refusing to authorize the $5.7 billion Trump demands for a barrier, shifting funds in this way would invite legal challenges and cause a political uproar.Many Republican lawmakers oppose such a move, calling it a serious overreach of executive power, and Democrats universally reject the plan to construct a barrier."If we don't make a deal, I think it would be very surprising to me" if I don't declare national emergency, Trump said at the White House before boarding Marine One. "The only way you have a strong border is you have a wall or steel barrier."  Continue reading...