President Trump vetoes resolution to block national emergency: 'I have the duty to veto it'

President Donald Trump vetoed a resolution Friday that sought to block his national emergency declaration to fund the southern border wall, according to The New York Times.

After Democrats and 12 Republican senators supported the resolution to block the declaration, President Trump immediately issued the first veto of his presidency, calling the resolution "dangerous" and "reckless."

"It is a dangerous resolution that would undermine United States sovereignty and threaten the lives and safety of countless Americans," President Trump said in a White House statement. "It is, therefore, my duty to return it to the House of Representatives without my approval."

How did we get here?

President Trump said he was not bothered by the number of Republicans who opposed his national emergency declaration, because he knew there weren't enough votes in Congress to override a veto.

"They're doing what they have to do, and I put no pressure on anybody," President Trump said. "I actually said, 'I could have gotten some of them to come along.' I said, 'I want for you to vote your heart. Do what you want to do. I'm not putting any pressure.' ... I didn't need the votes. We all knew it's going to be a veto, and there's not going to be an override."

Some Republicans view the national emergency declaration as an unconstitutional overreach, since Congress rejected bills to fund the border wall.

"Never before has a president asked for funding, Congress has not provided it and the president then has used the National Emergencies Act of 1976 to spend the money anyway," said Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee.

How did Democrats respond?

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to call a vote on March 26 to attempt to override President Trump's "lawless power grab" veto.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also criticized the president's characterization of the immigration situation as an emergency

"It is no surprise that the president holds the rule of law and our Constitution in minimal regard," Schumer said. "There is no emergency; Congress has refused to fund his wall multiple times; Mexico won't pay for it; and a bipartisan majority in both chambers just voted to terminate the fake emergency."

A two-thirds majority of lawmakers would have to vote in favor of overriding President Trump's veto. According to The Washington Post, fewer than 5 percent of vetoed bills since 1789 have become law by way of an override.