President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency on the US southern border, claiming that he needs special powers to build a wall to halt all illegal migration. His decision comes as he signs a bipartisan budget deal to avoid a government shutdown. But the deal does not provide funding for the wall, his signature campaign pledge that he repeatedly claimed Mexico would pay for. Some Republicans oppose the move, saying it creates a precedent for other presidents to bypass Congress if they do not fund his the administration's priorities. Democrats are uniformly opposed while legal experts are uncertain about the constitutionality of the executive action. Which Republicans back the plan? South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who often supports the president, said: "I think this is a political fight worth having." North Carolina Congressman Mark Meadows, who helped pressure Mr Trump to withhold his signature from a spending bill, triggering a 35-day government shutdown, said he supports the decision. Mr Meadows told Fox News that the declaration is necessary "because Congress has failed this president and the American people". Alabama Senator Richard Shelby said that legally, Mr Trump is "probably on pretty solid ground". "If I were the president, I'm not, I would do what I thought was best regardless of what - as long as I had the legal authority," he said, adding that he does not think Mr Trump is circumventing Congress' appropriation role. Conservative radio host Steve Deace said that Mr Trump should either declare a national emergency or back the spending bill, but not both. Mr Trump, he said, is "caving" and effectively saying it's not really an emergency by putting his signature to the budget deal. AFP.