A small group of Democratic congressmen with military service have penned a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) urging that his chamber of congress support “the vote of disapproval” over President Trump’s “invocation of the National Emergencies Act.”
Arizona’s Rep. Ruben Gallego, who has been relentless in his criticism of the Trump Administrations immigration policy, including border wall funding, is spearheading this move to pressure the Republican-led Senate to push back against Trump’s potential use of military pensions to pay for the wall.
“The President’s effort to pursue his campaign promises should never come at the expense of supporting service members who risk their lives in defense of our country’s Constitution, including the separation of powers,” the group wrote. “President Trump’s willingness to cut funding intended for our military installations and pay and benefits for service members and veterans undermines our nation’s responsibility to support out military families and provide for our nation’s common defense. Our military deserves better.”
The basis for the letter to McConnell is an Associated Press (AP) story that states The Pentagon is mulling over the option of using $1 billion in leftover funds from military pay and pension accounts” to pay for the border call.
The group continues:
“The President’s abuse of the National Emergencies Act to declare a fake national emergency on our southern border to build walls he originally said Mexico would pay for should not stand,” the letter says. “We may have political differences, but we hope you will join us to pass H.J.Res. 46 to terminate the President’s national emergency in order to defend the U.S. Constitution and uphold our solemn duty to support our brave men and women in uniform.”
Only Reps. Gallego, Anthony Brown (D-MD), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Gil Cisneros (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Max Rose (D-NY), and Bobby Rush (D-IL), signed the letter, leaving some 89 other current and former members of congress with military service out of the mix.
Most, if not all Republicans, support Trump’s immigration reform policy that calls for a border wall to be built.
Florida Rep. Brian Mast (R), who lost both legs and one digit while serving in Afghanistan, fully supports Trump’s call for the building of a border wall.
Brian recently voted against Rep. Joaquin Castro’s bill to stop Trump’s national emergency edict to fund the wall, and has voted against ever measure proposed to fund the government without border wall funding,
Military.com offers this detailed breakdown of elected members of congress with military experience:
- 96 total veterans in the 116th Congress.
- 30 are Democrats, 66 are Republicans.
- 19 will serve in the Senate, 77 will serve in the House.
- 48 served in the military after 2000.
- 21 served in the military in the 1960s or earlier.
- 19 are first-time lawmakers.
- 7 are women.
- 50 served in the Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard.
- 17 served in the Marine Corps or Marine Corps Reserve.
- 17 served in the Air Force, Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard.
- 13 served in the Navy or Naval Reserve.
- 1 served in the Coast Guard.
