US President Donald Trump on Friday issued his first veto rejecting as "dangerous" and "reckless" congressional resolution of his emergency declaration and asserted that Americans would be "put at risk" at the southern border with Mexico if the measure became a law.
At the Oval Office, Trump was quoted by The Hill saying: "Today I am vetoing this resolution. Congress has the freedom to pass this resolution, and I have the duty to veto it. There haven't been too many that are bigger emergency than what we have at our border."
The resolution will now return to the House of Representatives, which is expected to vote on overriding Trump's veto on March 26. However, lawmakers lack the two-thirds support of the chamber required to pass the measure.
It was the first time that the US President used his veto power to block a legislation which came after 12 Senate Republicans sided with the Democrats to reject Trump's use of his emergency power to bypass the Congress and fund the border wall's construction, The Hill reported.
On Thursday, the Republican-controlled Senate voted to disapprove the emergency declaration by 59 votes to 41, in what was a sharp rebuke to Trump. The resolution was already passed in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives by 245 votes to 182 last month, with 13 Republicans supporting the Democrats.
Minutes after the vote, Trump tweeted in capitals, "VETO!", an indication that he would reject the resolution.
The US President had labelled the resolution as a "referendum" on his immigration policies and had asked the Republicans to back his move, saying that the issue will play a crucial aspect in the 2020 presidential election.
On February 15, a defiant Trump declared a national emergency to bypass Congress and fulfill his long-pending demand of building the wall along the border with Mexico. Defending his move, the US President asserted that he had "no choice" but to use his emergency powers to stop illegal immigrants spreading crime and drugs.
Acknowledging that his move could be challenged legally, Trump remarked that his decision would eventually prevail. He said that he could wait for a "long time" to build his long-called barrier, but added that he wanted to move "faster" in this regard.
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