WASHINGTON -- The President declared an national emergency Friday, going around Congress to build his border wall. It's a move that is likely to get tied up in court.

The announcement comes one day after Congress passed a funding bill that did not include all the money he demanded for the project he long-promised Mexico would pay for.

All told, the president aims to unlock about $8 billion for border barriers. More than a billion of that comes from the spending bill Congress passed. The rest, the president says, will be diverted from a Treasury forfeiture fund, counter-narcotics programs, and military construction projects.

Democrats criticized the move, including Rep. David Price, D-4^th District. In a tweet, he made reference to the president’s weekend trip to Florida, writing, “Nothing says national emergency like a weekend of golf in Mar-A-Lago.”

Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement he is “deeply concerned” by the declaration. He specifically cited how the plan involved diverting funds “budgeted for military installations across the country” including potentially posts in North Carolina.

Within the Republican Party, there were mixed opinions.

Congressman Mark Meadow, R-11^th District, defended the President on Twitter. “POTUS’ declaration is legal + well founded,” wrote the key Trump ally.

Congressman Mark Walker, R-6^th District, expressed concern about a potential emergency declaration in previous interviews. He worried that it could set a bad precedent, laying the groundwork for a Democratic president to declare a national emergency on other issues like climate change.

Asked if that means he would back efforts by Democrats to undo the president’s declaration, Walker said, ‘No.’

“I think the president is going to be okay in selecting some of the money, some of the funding. I think $3.5 billion will come from [military construction], which is already set aside for construction out of our military defense budget,” Walker said. “May be that some of the places will be a little short for a few years. But he has a right to ultimately go there if it’s not creating additional funding. I think that's the gray area we want to stay on top of.”

Sen. Thom Tillis, meanwhile, was critical of the declaration. In a statement, he said an emergency declaration is not a “solution” to this border situation.

“It wouldn’t provide enough funding to adequately secure our borders, it would likely get tied up in litigation, and most concerning is that it would create a new precedent that a left-wing President would undoubtedly utilize to implement their radical policy agenda while bypassing the authority of Congress,” Tillis wrote.