The US Congress is set to pass a resolution rejecting president Donald Trump’s emergency declaration to fund a border wall with Mexico with the Republican-led Senate certain to vote for it as well.

“I think what is clear in the Senate is there will be enough votes to pass the resolution of disapproval,” Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, said on Monday, adding, “which will then be vetoed by the president and then, in all likelihood, the veto will be upheld in the House.”

The Democratic-led House of Representatives has already passed the resolution, and the Senate is expected to follow in a vote expected next week.

As McConnell said, Trump can, and will, veto it, the first for his presidency. To override the veto, both chambers of US Congress — the House and the Senate — need a two-thirds majority, which appears unlikely.

Opposition to the emergency declaration is not about the president’s divisive wall — along the border with Mexico to stop illegal immigrants — but on the constitutionality of Trump’s decision to go around the Congress to find the money for it, after being turned down.

President Trump had sought $5.7 billion for the wall. But Democrats, who control the House, gave him only $1.3 billion. He declared a national emergency, which he can, to raise an additional $6.5 billion by moving funds from budgetary appropriations approved by Congress for others purposes, especially defence constructions.

It has been seen as an executive branch overreach. And though generally supportive of the wall, many Republicans joined Democrats to pass the disapproval resolution in the House and they are now set to do the same in the Senate.

Senate Rand Paul’s announcement Monday that he will vote for the resolution, joining colleagues who have already declared their support for it, ensured its passage by the Senate and, thus the US Congress

First Published: Mar 06, 2019 10:24 IST