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Michigan congresswoman unsure if the votes are there to override presidential veto

Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) (file photo)
Cheyna Roth
/
MPRN
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) (file photo)
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) (file photo)
Credit Cheyna Roth / MPRN
/
MPRN
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) (file photo)

Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin expects it will be difficult overriding President Trump’s veto of legislation to block his emergency declaration to build a southern border wall.

Unbowed by a congressional rebuke, President Donald Trump issued the first veto of his presidency in a demonstration that he is not through fighting for his signature campaign promise, which stands largely unfulfilled 18 months before voters decide whether to grant him another term.

Trump on Friday rejected an effort by Congress to block the emergency declaration he'd used to circumvent lawmakers as he tried to shake loose funds for his long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“This is how our system works,” Rep. Slotkin (D-Holly) told reporters at a town hall meeting in Lansing Friday evening, “He has every right to do it.  And we have every right to organize to override his veto.”

Slotkin concedes there may not be enough votes in the House to override the president’s veto.

The House is expected to hold an override vote March 26th.

President Trump is expected to be in Michigan two days later for a rally in Grand Rapids.

Copyright 2019 Michigan Radio

Steve Carmody has been a reporter for Michigan Radio since 2005. Steve previously worked at public radio and television stations in Florida, Oklahoma and Kentucky, and also has extensive experience in commercial broadcasting. During his two and a half decades in broadcasting, Steve has won numerous awards, including accolades from the Associated Press and Radio and Television News Directors Association. Away from the broadcast booth, Steve is an avid reader and movie fanatic. Q&A