Rep. Wasserman Schultz Discusses President Trump's National Emergency Declaration

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - US Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz held a news conference on Monday, where she talked about President Trump's national emergency declaration.

Wasserman Schultz contends Trump's declaration is a "Lawless attempt to circumvent the authority of Congress and threatens the nation's military readiness over a manufactured crisis."

"Through this declaration the President could steal urgently needed military construction funds that are critical to our nation's military and the well-being of our troops."

The Congresswoman is the chair of the Military Construction and Veteran Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee. She says there $3.6 billion in projects Mr. Trump plans to raid in critical military construction under a false pretense for is neither a crisis nor an emergency. Wasserman-Schultz detailed the million she says would directly impact South Florida and military families.

"There are daycare centers that are currently funded that funds will be taken away for our military families, schools that are funded that he would take the funding, the fact that the President would say those projects training our pilots who fly KC135's is less important than building an unnecessary border wall to address a problem that he clearly even admitted wasn't an emergency is outrageous."

Her office said, "Representative Wasserman-Schultz is committed to doing everything possible to prevent the dangerous, authoritarian misuse of appropriated government funding for a useless vanity project."

Last Thursday, her office released the following statement:

"President Trump would rather steal money from our troops and degrade America's military readiness than own up to his campaign lie that Mexico would pay for his border wall boondoggle. As chair of the Military Construction and Veteran Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, I will fight this lawless abuse of authority. This irresponsible act will actually make us less safe, less prepared, harm the men and women who serve our country, and would recklessly waste taxpayers' money. Our armed forces should never be compromised by such dishonest, authoritarian tactics."

As the President prepared to deliver remarks in Miami on an issue they agree on, help for Venezuela and opposition to the Maduro regime, Wasserman Schultz said they can't lose sight of what is happening.

"Whether the President is here or not it is to make sure that we can help build the case that the President has abused his power and can't be allowed to do that," said Wasserman-Schultz.