Another 11 House Republicans Voted Against Trump's Wall

Before leaving town for another long vacation, the House-- which just got back for a few days-- voted, as had the Senate, to overturn Trump’s bogus national emergency declaration, the excuse he's been using for stealing money from the Pentagon to use for his vanity wall. Trump will veto it. Neither the House nor the Senate passed it with a veto-proof majority, 11 Republicans in each chamber voting with all the Democrats.

Yesterday, it passed the House 236 to 174. Colby Itzowitz and Erica Werner reported for the Washington Post that it was "the second time that Congress has tried to block the emergency funding. But since that vote in March, the Pentagon has released a list of $3.6 billion in military construction projects that were being canceled to pay for Trump’s wall. Those opposed to the wall thought the new data might spur more Republicans to break with Trump to protect projects in their states, particularly those incumbents facing tough reelections. But only 11 Senate Republicans and 11 House Republicans voted to overturn the national emergency.

“The taxpayers of the United States will pay for his stupid, useless wall, cutting essential things from the Coast Guard... cutting funds from the military who need these facilities for their troops and troop morale and for the safety and security of our troops, all for a stupid wall,” Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.) said on the House floor.

Trump issued the emergency declaration after a standoff with Congress over wall funding resulted in a 35-day partial government shutdown. Congress can vote to overturn the declaration through a disapproval resolution, but that still requires the president’s signature.

Republicans who spoke on the floor accused the Democrats of “political theater” and advocating for open borders. “This has nothing to do with really legislating,” said Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC).

“We now want to open the borders up and have this country become what was previously a nation of laws become overrun and say that laws are no longer sanctified in this country,” said Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC). “We have a president who’s bold, who’s recognized what’s not been recognized by previous presidents, that we do have an emergency.”

But Democrats pushed back against the GOP contention that there is an emergency at the border. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) said, “The president is raiding actual national security priorities to build his wall.”

These are the 11 Republicans-- primarily, but not entirely, incumbents facing tough reelections-- who voted against Trump yesterday:

• Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)
• Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA)
• Dusty Johnson (R-SD)
• John Katko (R-NY)
• Thomas Massie (R-KY)
• Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
• Francis Rooney (R-FL)
• Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI)
• Elise Stefanik (R-NY)
• Fred Upton (R-MI)
• Greg Walden (R-OR)

Jason Butler is running for a North Carolina congressional seat currently held by a Trump lackey, George Holding, who, of course, was not-- and will never be-- one of the 22 Republicans willing to stand up to Trump. "The real emergency in America, Jason told us today, "is that so many are suffering due to the lack of health insurance. The real emergency is the growing divide between the rich and the rest of us. The real emergency is the reality that our climate is dying. The border wall is nothing more than disconnected politicians like Trump and his biggest fan, George Holding, trying to sell the American people something they don’t need-- just like Trump’s red hats and Trump’s red straws. Trump is not a President, he’s a CEO trying to turn a profit. America needs healthcare. America needs an economy that works for everyone. America needs to be a world leader in reversing greenhouse gases. If Holding and Trump want a wall this bad, why don’t they use their personal fortunes and build it themselves."

   Kara Eastman is also running for a district-- this one in Omaha-- represented by a Trump bootlicker, Donald J. Bacon. "Do-nothing Don Bacon," she said, "is most effective at toeing the Trump line. He has supported POTUS over 96% of the time so it's no surprise that he voted in support of the bogus Southern Border Wall. I went to the Southern border and what we need is an investment in human rights and resources for those who are fleeing violence and persecution. Do-nothing Don Bacon talks a good talk on immigration but when it comes down to votes he is as Trump as they come."

TX-10 is represented by a drunken Trump enabler, Michael McCaul. We're working towards helping Mike Siegel replace him in Congress. "McCaul," he told us, "is willing to sacrifice any sense of decency to keep his power. He wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed claiming impeachment is 'what Putin wants,' an absurd declaration. And he supported the government shutdown for the Border Wall, even though he opposed a wall before Trump's election. 'True to form' for McCau -- no backbone, just pandering... As Trump sells our democracy, McCaul defends him. When our democracy is on the line, McCaul chose a side: to protect a corrupt authoritarian. To defend a President who today threatened to execute a whistleblower. To coddle a person who is undermining American democracy, at home and abroad. We can’t tolerate Trump appeasers for a minute longer... Our mission is to replace the corrupt regime in power and restore common sense and decency to our government.