Declaring a national emergency to appropriate funds for a border wall would usurp the powers of Congress and give the executive branch too much power, U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue said Friday.

President Donald Trump declared a national emergency Friday morning after Democrats balked at setting aside at least $5 billion for building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border in the budget bill recently passed by Congress. The money would come from funds set aside for military construction and efforts to combat drug crime, as well as funds seized by federal law enforcement, according to news reports. The declaration will almost certainly be challenged in court.

Most Democrats and some Republicans oppose Trump using an emergency declaration to appropriate funds for the wall. The Chamber also is against the idea, with Donohue outlining the group's opposition in a statement issued shortly before Trump publicly announced his decision.

"Our nation's founders created a system of lawmaking, of checks and balances that can be challenging and often frustrating," Donohue said. "But it is also the system that protects our liberties and has fostered our prosperity."

The Chamber has long fought against attempts by the executive branch to "usurp" the powers of Congress and vice versa, the CEO added. He urged Trump not to go through with a national emergency.

"Instead, we urge the president and members of Congress of both parties to negotiate and find common ground on immigration and border security," Donohue said. "The declaration of national emergency in this instance will create a dangerous precedent that erodes the very system of government that has served us so well for over 200 years."

The Chamber has found Trump to be an ally in pursuing tax cuts and deregulation, but the business group isn't a fan of the president's rhetoric and actions on immigration. Donohue was one of 10 association executives who recently signed a petition urging lawmakers to reinstate protections for "Dreamers" who were brought into the U.S. illegally when they were children. Trump removed temporary protections for Dreamers shortly after taking office.

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