House Democrat counters Trump with a resolution declaring climate change a national emergency.
| February 15, 2019
Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon said Friday he intends to introduce a resolution declaring climate change a national emergency.
Blumenauer, who has endorsed the progressive Green New Deal resolution and is active on environmental and renewable energy issues, circulated a letter to colleagues Friday seeking support for a resolution that would declare the “sense of Congress” that climate change is a national emergency.
Blumenauer’s resolution would swipe President Trump for declaring a national emergencyFriday to build a border wall and address what the congressman called a “manufactured crisis.”
“What our country should be doing right now is focusing on addressing a real national emergency and one of the most pressing issues of our time: the climate crisis,” Blumenauer said in his letter. “If Donald Trump wants to start declaring national emergencies for fake crises, Congress should address the real ones, starting with climate change.”
Republicans who oppose Trump’s emergency declaration for the wall have expressed concern that Democrats could take that precedent and use the same executive authority to act alone on their priorities, such as climate change and gun control.
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Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh said Sunday that President Trump was right to declare a national emergency to build a barrier along hundreds of miles along the U.S.-Mexico border, claiming an "invasion" of Latin American migrants could redefine the nation's culture.
"This is an invasion," the radio pundit said during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," warning about "the very existence and definition of American culture, American society, the rule of law."
"Why does nobody talk about the fact that millions and millions and millions of people are breaking the law coming here illegally and that the Democrat [sic] Party wants that to happen?" he said.
Limbaugh added: "It is undeniable that we have a major immigration problem and a political party that needs a permanent underclass of voters that wants that parade of illegal people who are uneducated, don't even speak the language, they want them here."
During the interview, Limbaugh brushed off suggestions that he helped steer Trump toward a harder line on the wall funds, including in December when Trump abruptly said he would not sign a funding bill without wall funds, triggering a 35-day government shutdown.
After Democrats balked at providing $5.7 billion for a wall, Trump broke two months of political gridlock Friday by declaring a national emergency to redirect military funds without Congress.
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