NORTH CAROLINA -- The president continues to toy with a plan to declare a national emergency, allowing him to go around Congress to get his border wall. The idea is causing some friction on Capitol Hill, including within the North Carolina delegation.

  • On Monday, the president once again floated the idea of a declaring an emergency.
  • Some Republican lawmakers defend the president outright, saying the border situation is such that it warrants a declaration.
  • Democrats have threatened legal action if the president goes ahead with the order, arguing it is unconstitutional.

On Monday, the president once again floated the idea of a declaring an emergency. While he seemed to walk back the proposal, he did not fully rule it out.

“I have the absolute legal right to call it. But I’m not looking to do that because this is too simple,” President Donald Trump told reporters gathered on the White House lawn.

Some Republican lawmakers, including Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, defend the president outright, saying the border situation is such that it warrants a declaration.

“It is a real crisis, and unlike what some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have said,” she said. “It isn’t manufactured, it is real.”

Republican Mark Walker meanwhile argues that Congress should step up to the plate and pass funding legislation, saying it is their job.

He has some concerns about a potential declaration. While he believes it could be crafted in a way that is legal, he fears it could get tied up in court. Democrats have threatened legal action if the president goes ahead with the order, arguing it is unconstitutional.

Walker also worries that if the president does declare an emergency, it could set up problems down the road.

“I just want to make sure we’re not setting a precedent for a more progressive president that want to declare an emergency on climate control or something along those lines,” Walker said.

While many Democrats are concerned about the declaration, Rep. GK Butterfield did put a positive spin on it, arguing it could potentially help them end the shutdown faster by removing the wall from the debate on Capitol Hill.

“It will hopefully take the issue off the table, and will give Sen. McConnell to take up the legislation the House has passed. And hopefully the president will reconsider his opposition and sign the legislation,” Butterfield said.

When will the impasse end? That remains anyone’s guess. The shutdown has already become the longest in United States history.