A former Republican congressman says his party would have been up in arms if a Democratic president considered declaring a national emergency over an issue, as President Trump Donald John TrumpHR McMaster says president's policy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is 'unwise' Cast of 'Parks and Rec' reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response MORE threatened to do this week.

Former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) tweeted Thursday that Republicans would have been "storming the White House" during if former President Obama ever considered such a plan.

"My side would be storming the White House if Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaThe Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - Don't expect a government check anytime soon Trump appointees stymie recommendations to boost minority voting: report Obama's first presidential memoir, 'A Promised Land,' set for November release MORE ever thought about declaring a national emergency," Walsh wrote.

My side would be storming the White House if Barack Obama ever thought about declaring a national emergency. — Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) January 10, 2019

Trump this week threatened to declare a national emergency to reallocate funding for his border wall.

Republican lawmakers met Trump's plans with skepticism, warning that any declaration of a national emergency over immigration would almost certainly be met with court challenges.

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“Although the president does have national emergency declaration powers … this would be a dubious constitutional authority and would clearly be challenged in the courts," Maine Sen. Susan Collins Susan Margaret CollinsThe Hill's Campaign Report: Biden asks if public can trust vaccine from Trump ahead of Election Day | Oklahoma health officials raised red flags before Trump rally Gideon leads Collins by 12 points in Maine Senate race: poll Senate leaders quash talk of rank-and-file COVID-19 deal MORE (R) told reporters this week.

“I just don’t think you can repurpose more than $5 billion from the defense budget for purposes unrelated to what the money was appropriated for," she added.

Other Republicans in the Senate concurred, questioning whether such a strategy would truly be faster than the White House reaching a deal on immigration reform and border security with Congress.

“I think it adds new layers of complexity because we know the first thing that will happen is somebody will file a lawsuit, and it won’t be resolved for weeks, maybe months, maybe even years,” Texas Sen. John Cornyn John CornynAirline job cuts loom in battleground states Senate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden Hillicon Valley: DOJ indicts Chinese, Malaysian hackers accused of targeting over 100 organizations | GOP senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal | QAnon awareness jumps in new poll MORE (R) said.

The federal government's partial shutdown, which was sparked by an impasse over funding for a border wall, is in its 20th day with no resolution in sight.