Trump's national emergency to contend with lawsuits

The national emergency declared by United States President Donald Trump has set the stage for lengthy legal challenges, but he will most likely end up redirecting money without congressional approval for building a border wall, according to experts, who said the situation should be a wake-up call to revisit the nature of emergency powers.

Trump on Friday invoked emergency powers invested in the president by the 1976 National Emergencies Act to justify repurposing federal funds to pay for a wall between the US and Mexico, one of his signature 2016 campaign promises that is opposed by most Democrats.

The top two congressional Democrats, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a joint statement have called Trump's move "unlawful over a crisis that does not exist", and vowed to use "every remedy available" against it, while calling for Republican lawmakers to join their efforts.