Kellyanne Conway, senior counselor to President Trump, said Monday evening that the president is “considering” declaring a national emergency to build the border wall and that White House lawyers are looking at the "legal implications" of it.
She cautioned, however, that going that route would let Congress off the hook again.
"There are probably some people who want him (Trump) to declare it (the emergency) so that Congress, again, can fail to do its job," she said. "The Congress and the courts have failed to do their jobs. They’ve given us this crisis."
Conway insisted what’s going on at the southern border is a “crisis” because of the amount of drugs, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin that are coming over from Mexico.
President Trump will be speaking directly to the American people about the situation at the southern border in an address Tuesday evening.
"I am pleased to inform you that I will Address the Nation on the Humanitarian and National Security crisis on our Southern Border. Tuesday night at 9:00 P.M. Eastern," Trump tweeted on Monday.
I am pleased to inform you that I will Address the Nation on the Humanitarian and National Security crisis on our Southern Border. Tuesday night at 9:00 P.M. Eastern.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 7, 2019
Democratic leadership has demanded that they get equal time to address the nation in response.
“Now that the television networks have decided to air the President’s address, which if his past statements are any indication will be full of malice and misinformation, Democrats must immediately be given equal airtime,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a joint statement released Monday night.