Politics

Marco Rubio: Declaring National Emergency for Border Wall Is a 'Terrible Idea'

NOT A FAN

Rubio's comments stand in contrast with President Trump's threats.

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Joshua Roberts/REUTERS

Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said Sunday that President Trump declaring a national emergency to build a border wall would be a “terrible idea.”

“It's just not a good precedent to set in terms of action. It doesn't mean that I don't want border security. I do. I just think that's the wrong way to achieve it,” Rubio said on Meet the Press. Rubio’s comments stem from President Trump’s on-again, off-again threats of declaring a national emergency to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border after failing secure funding in Congress. The impasse over border wall funding propelled the United States into a 35-day partial shutdown of the federal government in history, the longest in U.S. history. “If we don't get a fair deal from Congress, the government will either shut down on February 15 again or I will use the powers afforded to me under the laws in the Constitution of the United States to address this emergency,” Trump reportedly said.

Read it at Meet the Press