Trump to declare emergency over Mexico border wall 15 February 2019 Share Related TopicsUS government shutdown Media captionSenator McConnell supports the president; Speaker Pelosi warns it sets a dangerous precedent Democratic and Republican politicians have sharply criticised President Trump's plan to use emergency powers to pay for a border wall with Mexico. Mr Trump is due to declare the emergency shortly in an attempt to bypass Congress, which has refused to approve $5.7bn (£4.4bn) for the wall. Senior Democrats accused the president of a "gross abuse of power". Several Republicans also voiced concern. Building a border wall was a key pledge in Mr Trump's election campaign. Declaring a national emergency would give Mr Trump access to billions of dollars for his project. ADVERTISEMENT All you need to know about the US border in seven charts Reaction to Trump's decision to declare national emergency Can Trump use emergency powers to build wall? Is there