ITHACA, NY (WSKG) - Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer predicts lawsuits challenging the President’s declaration of a national emergency will be successful because the problem isn’t a crisis.
Schumer said previous declarations were legitimate, but Trump’s is not. The Senate Minority Leader cited a declaration by George W. Bush after 9-11 and another by his father just before the first Gulf War.
"This one doesn’t fit an emergency because it’s been debated by Congress and it’s been a problem that’s been going on for a long time as opposed to an immediate problem," says Schumer
The Senate Minority Leader also voiced his support for a $20-million bill meant to help small police departments. Schumer said the POWER Act offers grants to police so they can purchase a portable device that safely detects toxic fentanyl without opening suspected packages.
Standing alongside police officers and the mayor of Elmira, Schumer said the bill highlights the need for new technology, and not physical barriers like a wall.
"90% of the drugs that come in don’t come across the the border, don’t come across the unguarded border, where we’re talking about what to put there, but come through the portals of entry," said Schumer.
Fentanyl is legally manufactured in China then shipped into the U.S. where it’s mixed with heroin and other drugs, which are then sold to users. The combination of fentanyl and heroin is a major cause of heroin overdose deaths and a serious threat to police. The bill was introduced by Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman.