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Some House Democrats are endorsing the idea of President Trumpdeclaring a national emergency at the southern border to dissolve a partisan standoff about funding his border wall and end a weeks-long government shutdown.

The supportive Democrats are quick to emphasize they don’t believe the president has the legal authority to declare such an emergency, predicting the maneuver would quickly lead to lawsuits that they themselves would support.

But with both Trump and Democratic leaders holding firm in their positions — and the shutdown approaching its fourth week — the lawmakers increasingly view an emergency declaration as the quickest way to end the standoff and reopen the government.

“Right now it looks like the only way out that people are talking about,” said Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), who represents a suburban district outside Washington that’s home to thousands of federal workers. “I’m eager to find another creative solution. I haven’t heard one.”

“I don’t know that he has the authority to do it — I will almost certainly join lawsuits to challenge his ability to do it,” Beyer continued. “But it does seem like a way for him to reopen the government and yet save face.

“And I’m not against him saving face.”

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