Top Democrats say President Donald Trump would face legal and political challenges if he tries to declare a national emergency to build the border wall with Mexico.
WATCH: Chuck Schumer accuses Donald Trump of ‘holding government hostage’
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith said the executive power has been used to build military facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan, but would likely be “wide open” to a court challenge for the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
READ MORE: Donald Trump threatens to call national emergency to force wall approval
“Where is the emergency?” the Washington Democrat said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff called it a “non-starter.”
WATCH: Trump says he can build border wall without Congressional approval
The California Democrat tells CNN’s “State of the Union”: “Look, if Harry Truman couldn’t nationalize the steel industry during wartime, this president doesn’t have the power to declare an emergency and build a multibillion-dollar wall on the border.”