--- title: Republicans Caution Trump Against Using Emergency Powers description: Lawmakers, donors and strategists have all expressed concern canonical: https://time.com/5500555/donald-trump-emergency-powers-republicans/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-01-11T21:51:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T22:28:51.502Z article:section: Politics og:title: Why Republicans Are Cautioning Trump Against Using Emergency Powers og:description: "He risks splitting an already fragile congressional coalition" og:url: https://time.com/5500555/donald-trump-emergency-powers-republicans/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2466adc0c87f1411/698942d1ab6d776cbc6b491e/trump-nation-address-border-wall.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: trump-nation-address-border-wall og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Republicans Are Cautioning Trump Against Using Emergency Powers twitter:description: "He risks splitting an already fragile congressional coalition" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2466adc0c87f1411/698942d1ab6d776cbc6b491e/trump-nation-address-border-wall.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Republicans Are Cautioning Trump Against Using Emergency Powers > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=e5655ba2-0323-45dc-86dd-a45c5b90dce2&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=e5655ba2-0323-45dc-86dd-a45c5b90dce2&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=e5655ba2-0323-45dc-86dd-a45c5b90dce2&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Jan 11, 2019 9:51 PM UTC  U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media upon his return to the White House after a day trip to Camp David on January 6, 2019 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media upon his return to the White House after a day trip to Camp David on January 6, 2019 in Washington, DC. Chris Kleponis—Pool/Getty Images  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Jan 11, 2019 9:51 PM UTC President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to [declare a national emergency](http://time.com/5500313/donald-trump-national-emergency/) in order to build a border wall have led to an unusually high amount of pushback from Republicans concerned about executive overreach. As the partial government shutdown edged toward becoming the longest in U.S. history on Friday, Trump again said he may invoke broad emergency powers if House Democrats won’t agree to $5.7 billion in funding for the wall. “I’m not going to do it so fast,” he told reporters at the White House Friday. “We want Congress to do its job.” But the suggestion to use emergency powers ruffled the feathers of conservative members of Congress who frequently criticized Barack Obama for what they considered an overreach of executive powers and raised concerns among lawmakers who expect to serve under a Democratic president again eventually. “I think its a bad precedent and it contravenes the power of the purse that comes from the elected representatives of the people,” Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley [said Friday on CNBC.](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/11/sen-charles-grassley-warns-trump-not-to-declare-emergency-over-wall.html) “I don’t understand why there can’t be a compromise here.” Republican strategists cautioned that the move could backfire even in the short term. Alex Conant, who worked for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign, said some Republicans are already annoyed with Trump for reneging on his support for a spending bill that would have prevented the shutdown. He warned that invoking emergency powers could split “an already fragile congressional coalition.” “It gets him through the current news cycle but it doesn’t solve any of his problems,” he told TIME. Conservative donors have also spoken out. Republican donor Dan Eberhart characterized Trump’s potential move as a “bridge too far.” “Weaponing a national emergency to achieve a policy objective is usually something that happens in banana republics, not George Washington’s republic,” he told TIME. This matter is one of the few on which Eberhart is united with Democrats. His comments about the detrimental effects of executive power bore similarity to those of House Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer earlier this week. “I think it is analogous to the governments you see all over the world declaring martial law, justifying whatever they want to do to whomever they want to, whenever they want to,” Hoyer said this past Tuesday when asked about the concept. “We don’t think that’s the American way. We don’t think that’s the constitutional way.” A major concern for Republicans in Congress is the precedent this would set for future budget standoffs. If Trump prevails with this approach, they note, there would be little to stop a future president from using similar the same maneuver to go around Congress on issues like climate change or gun control. Even Republicans who are supportive of using these powers acknowledge that a Congressional negotiation is preferable, and that invoking them would inevitably lead to a protracted court fight. “I think everyone would rather a deal \[with Congress\],” said Brian Ballard, a Republican lobbyist and vice chairman on the Republican National Committee’s finance team. “But I don’t think a deal is possible.” This notion of futility has also extended to some lawmakers. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham had been trying to field a compromise between the two parties, only to come up short and determine the stalemate had no end date. Since Thursday, he has been urging the President to declare a national emergency to fund the border wall. “Democrats will do everything in their power to defeat Trump in 2020,” Graham said in a statement after meeting with President Trump Friday. “Mr. President, declare a national emergency now. Build a wall now.” > [](https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1083797038326792192) _With reporting by Philip Elliott/Washington_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5500555/donald-trump-emergency-powers-republicans/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5500555/donald-trump-emergency-powers-republicans/"},"headline":"Why Republicans Are Cautioning Trump Against Using Emergency Powers","datePublished":"2019-01-11T21:51:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T22:28:51.502Z","description":"\"Republicans are not united\"","url":"https://time.com/5500555/donald-trump-emergency-powers-republicans/","keywords":["republicans","Congress","Shutdown","Donald Trump","border wall"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2466adc0c87f1411/698942d1ab6d776cbc6b491e/trump-nation-address-border-wall.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alana Abramson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2466adc0c87f1411/698942d1ab6d776cbc6b491e/trump-nation-address-border-wall.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"trump-nation-address-border-wall","caption":"President Trump Returns To The White House After Day Trip To Camp David","creditText":"Chris Kleponis—Pool/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/republicans/","name":"republicans"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5500555/donald-trump-emergency-powers-republicans/","name":"Why Republicans Are Cautioning Trump Against Using Emergency Powers"}}]}] ```