MSNBC "The Rachel Maddow Show" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Joaquin Castro

Interview

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MADDOW:  Last night, the Republican controlled Senate voted 54-46 to pull the plug on U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.  Seven Republican senators voted with the Democrats on that.  So, it passed. 
 
That measure is also expected to pass over overwhelmingly in the House.  Because it passed the House and the Senate, that resolution will tee up what could be President Trump`s first ever attempt to veto something.  He hasn`t tried to do that yet. 
 
Even if it`s first on the resolution, it won`t be the only one.  Hard on the heels of the vote yesterday, today, the Republican controlled Senate voted to void the president`s declaration of an emergency so we can build his southern border wall.  This time even more Republicans broke ranks and sided against the president, 12 Republicans crossed the aisle to vote with the Democrats this time.
 
And it was an interesting thing to watch this take shape.  On this vote on the wall on the emergency declaration, the president kept insisting Republican senators would stick with him and saying that publicly over and over again.  Even as he kept claiming that, the number of Republican defectors on this issue went from initially two and then three and then four, all the way up to the 12 Republican senators who sided against him today. 
 
This is a historic thing, though.  This is the first time that the U.S.
Congress has ever blocked a presidential emergency declaration.  Even ahead of whatever happens with this veto, they have never done something like this before. 
 
Joining us now is Congressman Joaquin Castro of the great state of Texas.  He`s a member of the House Intelligence Committee.  He also authored the bill in the House to overturn the president`s declaration of an emergency. 
 
Congressman, thank you so much for being here tonight.  It`s a real pleasure to have you here. 
 
REP. JOAQUIN CASTRO (D), TEXAS:  Thank you for having me, Rachel. 
 
MADDOW:  You have to feel validated by the bipartisan nature of the support for your resolution in both the House now and in the Senate. 
 
CASTRO:  Yes, that`s right.  We got 245 votes in the House and 59 votes in the Senate.  So it was a strong bipartisan condemnation of President Trump attempting to go around Congress to fund his border wall.  You know, I was predicting we`d get 54 votes in the Senate.  We got 59. 
 
MADDOW:  In terms of the expected veto, obviously, you need a whole bunch more senators to flip against the president in order to get it up to a veto override.  Obviously, it would be a heavy lift to get that threshold in the House, as well.  To me, just as an observer that doesn`t seem like a realistic possibility.  I imagine you and your colleagues will try for it nonetheless. 
 
CASTRO:  Yes, that`s right.  You know, when we started this, I said if he tried to use the emergency declaration, to build his border wall and fund his wall, then we would fight him in the courts.  We would fight him in Congress and that the American people would fight him.
 
And so you`re right, overriding any veto is going to be very tough but we`re not going to give up.  We`ll continue to fight and do everything that we can to terminate this emergency resolution. 
 
MADDOW:  Well, is there a connection, actually, between what just happened with these again votes against the president, those votes to block the president in both houses and pretty big votes in both houses to do that?  Is there a connection between that and the legal strategy if this does get into court, will these votes in the House and Senate be material to the way the courts look at this and decide whether the president acted within his constitutional powers here? 
 
CASTRO:  Yes, I think you`re absolutely right.  They are related.  It will be very significant for the courts and perhaps the Supreme Court if it reviews this to see that both chambers of Congress, one re pub can chamber in the Senate and one Democratic in the house of representatives both voted the terminate President Trump`s emergency declaration, because we don`t believe it`s legal and because there is no emergency on our southern border. 
 
MADDOW:  To the extent that the Congress, excuse me, that the courts will be considering the sort of plain language understanding of what an emergency is, a majority, bipartisan, bicameral majority of Congress looking at that matter and saying, no, Mr. President, we don`t see the emergency, you have to imagine that moves the courts somewhat but we will see. 
 
CASTRO:  No, that was very significant.  Thank you, I just want to say as a final thought, Rachel, a thank you to all the Americans who reached out to their members of Congress and their senators and put pressure on these folks to do the right thing.  I think that`s why we saw overwhelming numbers in both the House and the Senate. 
 
MADDOW:  Congressman Joaquin Castro of the great state of Texas who authored this bill overturning the president`s declaration, of an emergency
* really appreciate you being here tonight, sir.  Thanks a lot.
 
CASTRO:  Thank you. 

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