Trump's use of military money for wall survives Senate test

The Senate voted Thursday to sustain President Donald Trump's veto of Democratic-sponsored legislation reversing his raid of military base project money to pay for the US-Mexico border wall.

The 53-36 vote was well short of the two-thirds required to overturn the veto. The vote mirrored ones last month and in March in which a number of Republicans broke with Trump in defending lawmakers' power of the purse. The military projects in question included base schools and target ranges.

In February, Trump declared the security situation along the border a national emergency. That decision enabled him to take up to $3.6 billion from such projects to finance wall construction beyond the miles that lawmakers have been willing to fund.

Democrats reacted with outrage and some GOP senators opposed Trump as well.

Top Republicans such as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky had urged Trump not to do it. But once Trump acted, McConnell and others fell into line even as 10 Republicans broke with Trump on Thursday's vote.

"The president's emergency declaration is an unconstitutional power grab. Congress has not fully funded his requests for border wall funding," said Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M.

"But this president will not accept Congress's judgment. Or our constitutional authority. His emergency declaration is an exercise of power that is just not his under the Constitution."