Scanlon, Senior House Judiciary Democrats Demand Answers After Trump Declares National EmergencyDems Request Hearings with White House Counsel & Department of Justice Officials
Washington, DC,
February 16, 2019
Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon, Vice Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Judiciary Subcommittee Chairs sent a letter to President Donald Trump to demand answers after his declaration of a national emergency at our southern border. The Committee also requested hearings with White House Counsel Pat A. Cipollone and Justice Department officials. “The President’s declaration of a national emergency at our southern border is a gross abuse of power,” Congresswoman Scanlon said. “Fabricating a national emergency to bypass Congressional budget appropriations is a reckless disregard for the separation of powers protected by our constitution. When I visited our southern border last weekend, I did not find a national security crisis, and the President’s ill-informed narrative about our border is dangerous. Our broken immigration system can only be fixed through responsible policymaking. We have a constitutional obligation to be a check and balance on this administration and we intend to uphold that duty.” This letter was signed by Chairman Jerrold Nadler, Vice Chairwoman Mary Gay Scanlon, Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Chair Steve Cohen (D-TN), Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet Chair Hank Johnson (D-GA) Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Chair Karen Bass (D-CA), and Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law Chair David Cicilline (D-RI). Full text of the letter is available here. ### |
