Trump says he will veto the resolution ending the national emergency

March 1, 2019, 3:20 GMT / Update March 1, 2019, 04:22 GMT

By Phil Helsel

President Donald Trump has confirmed his intention to veto a resolution ending his declaration of national emergency.

The resolution approved by the House was designed to prevent the president from mobilizing billions of dollars to finance a border wall.

Trump made the comment in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News aired Thursday night.

"We'll be fine," the president told the question. When Hannity said that he would veto it and that it would not be canceled, Trump replied "yes".

The House of Representatives passed Resolution 245-182 on Tuesday. Thirteen Republicans joined the Democrats to vote for the resolution.

The Senate is required to vote on the resolution within 18 days of the vote of the House.

Three Republican senators have already indicated that they would support the resolution ending the national emergency. Assuming all the Democrats vote for it, it would take four GOP senators to get the 51 votes required to send it to the president's office.

The Trump administration said earlier this week that if the resolution were presented to the president in its current form, "his advisers would recommend vetoing it."

Trump declared a national emergency on February 15. The White House announced that the president was planning to reallocate funds from the army and treasury to finance the wall.

Earlier on Thursday, Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee suggested that the president seek another way to fund the promised border wall.

"The president's lawyers have time to look again and determine if we can both build the 234 miles of border wall requested by the president and avoid this dangerous precedent," Alexander said.

"Then the Senate could both support the president's request at the border and be true to our oath of support for a constitution that creates the separation of powers as a crucial means of controlling the executive power, which goes to the heart. even of our freedom, "he said.

Republican Meaning. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, said they would vote in favor of the resolution.

Senator Thom Tillis, R -North Carolina, wrote Monday in a Washington Post editorial that he planned to support the resolution if it came to the Senate.

"As a US Senator, I can not justify giving the executive more ways to bypass Congress," wrote Tillis. "As a Conservative, I can not subscribe to a precedent that I know future left-wing presidents will exploit to advance radical policies that will erode economic and individual freedoms."

In an interview with Fox Channel on Thursday, Trump said, "I think it's really very dangerous for people to vote against border security – for everyone, including Republicans."

"I really think Republicans who vote against border security and against the wall – I think, you know, I've been able to predict things – I think they've put themselves in danger" said the president.

To cancel a veto, two-thirds of the votes in both chambers are necessary.

At least 16 states, along with the American Civil Liberties Union, have filed suit against Trump's emergency declaration.

Phil Helsel is a journalist for NBC News.