They may be from the same side of the aisle, but Mississippi's two GOP U.S. senators aren't in agreement when it comes to President Trump's declaration of a national emergency to get his hands on border wall funding:
U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss. voted for a resolution of disapproval for the national emergency declared by the President on February 15, 2019. This week Wicker cosponsored legislation to provide for affirmative Congressional consent for future emergency declarations. He also supported negotiations that would have advanced the President’s border plans while preventing future overreach. Senators and the White House negotiated until late last night, but an agreement could not be reached.
Senator Wicker issued the following statement:
“I had very cordial conversations with the President yesterday and this morning. I shared with him that I strongly support his plan to build walls on our southern border, but that an emergency declaration was the wrong approach. The President already has almost $6 billion available that can be used to build border walls. For over 20 years in the House and Senate, I have voted for funds to build more than 600 miles of border structure, and I look forward to working with President Trump on additional border security measures.”
“I am concerned about the precedent an emergency declaration sets, which might empower a future liberal President to declare emergencies to enact gun control or to address ‘climate emergencies,’ or even to tear down the wall we are building today.”
“I regret that we were not able to find a solution that would have averted a challenge to the balance of power as defined by the Constitution. The system of checks and balances established by the Founders has preserved our democracy. It is essential that we protect this balance even when it is frustrating or inconvenient."
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U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) voted for stronger security on the nation’s southern border by voting against an effort to overturn President Trump’s National Emergency Declaration regarding the security and humanitarian crisis on the border.
Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, voted against a Resolution of Disapproval (H.J.Res.46) to repudiate the emergency declaration issued by the President. The resolution, which has now been passed by the House and Senate, is expected to be vetoed by President Trump.
“The President is justified in exercising his statutory authorities under the National Emergencies Act of 1976, which gives him the latitude to declare a national emergency specifically to implement an existing border security law that was enacted with broad bipartisan support,” Hyde-Smith said.
“An emergency declaration may not be an ideal course of action, but an objective look at surging unlawful border crossings and illegal drug trafficking indicates we are facing a crisis that will get worse before it gets better,” she said. “This is a serious issue. The citizens of this country would be better served if Congress worked together to address this humanitarian and border security crisis, rather than using the issue to score political points.”
U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials indicate that attempted border crossings in February marked an 11-year high for that month. Apprehensions of caravan groups attempting to cross the border illegally has increased more than 600 percent over the past five years.
Since the enactment of the National Emergencies Act more than 40 years ago, Presidents have declared nearly 60 national emergencies for everything from the swine flu to the response to 9/11.
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Authorities are working to track down two people wanted in connection with the machete murder of a man in Gulfport late last month. The U.S. Marshal's Service announced Thursday that the agency is offering a 25-hundred-dollar reward in the case. Eli Martinez Medina is being sought on a charge of first-degree murder in the February 24th killing of 39-year-old Frederick Plummer. Leila Darlene Lizana is accused of being an accessory after the fact. The two are believed to be traveling together.
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Friday prayers turned into sheer terror in New Zealand as 49 people were killed in what's being called on of the country's darkest days. Police Commissioner Mike Bush says the vast majority of the victims were killed at one mosque in Christchurch. One man has already been charged with murder and three others are in custody. At least 48 other people were injured in the attacks.
We'll have updates on this developing story from Fox News through the day on NewsTalk 104.9
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Boeing will continue building 737 MAX jets despite a worldwide grounding of the popular planes following Sunday's deadly crash in Ethiopia. Industry experts say it's no surprise they're staying in production since the plane is the company's best-selling jet and there's a huge backlog of orders. Meanwhile, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said he supports the grounding of 737 MAX jets, out of an abundance of caution.