Sen. John Kennedy John Neely KennedyMORE (R-La.) predicted on Tuesday that a number of GOP senators will back President Trump Donald John TrumpBubba Wallace to be driver of Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin NASCAR team Graham: GOP will confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election Southwest Airlines, unions call for six-month extension of government aid MORE's declaration of a national emergency to build a wall on the Mexican border, despite their opposition to it.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellGraham: GOP will confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election Trump puts Supreme Court fight at center of Ohio rally The Memo: Dems face balancing act on SCOTUS fight MORE (R-Ky.) met with Trump last week and warned that if he goes through with the declaration, as he has signaled, it could lead to passage in the House of a resolution blocking Trump's plan.

McConnell said he'd have no choice under Senate rules but to bring the resolution to the Senate floor for a vote, where he said it could get enough GOP votes to be approved.

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Kennedy, however, expressed doubt that Republicans would actually vote against Trump on the matter.

“Some of my colleagues in the Senate on both sides of the aisle, particularly Republicans, are all a-titter about the fact that he might do it, but I’ve learned in this place talk’s cheap," he said on CNN.

"Let’s see how they vote,” Kennedy said. “If the president does it, I’m willing to bet you a lot of Republicans who are saying it’s a bad idea and he shouldn’t do it, they’ll vote to support him.”

Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, meaning that if all Democrats voted for a resolution blocking Trump, Republicans could afford no more than three defections if they wish to prevent the resolution disapproving the declaration from passing.

It's likely Trump would veto such a measure and it's unlikely Congress could then pass a resolution with a veto-proof majority to override Trump.

Still, McConnell and other Republicans would rather avoid the fight if they can.

Kennedy dismissed concerns over Trump declaring an emergency to build a border wall, which other Republicans have said could be used as a precedent for a Democratic president to declare an emergency on climate change or health care.

“It’s not my preferred choice, but I don’t think the world's going to spin off its axis if the president does it,” he said.

“I don’t think the world will spin off its axis if the President does it,” @SenJohnKennedy says about President Trump possibly declaring national emergency over border wall.



“I’ve learned in this place talk’s cheap. Let’s see how they vote.” https://t.co/tTPwcTcANx pic.twitter.com/7bHWaPO389 — New Day (@NewDay) February 5, 2019

The comments come as a growing number of Republican senators voice trepidations about such a move, even suggesting it could be unconstitutional.

“There's a lot of reservations in the conference about it and I hope they don't go down that path,” Senate Majority Whip John Thune John Randolph ThuneGraham: GOP will confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election Tumultuous court battle upends fight for Senate What Senate Republicans have said about election-year Supreme Court vacancies MORE (R-S.D.) told reporters Monday.

“I don't think the intent was for it to be used in this kind of situation. And as a member of the Senate I'm very concerned if the president believes that he can reallocate or repurpose appropriations for which we have designated very specific purposes,” Sen. Susan Collins Susan Margaret CollinsGraham: GOP will confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election Gardner signals support for taking up Supreme Court nominee this year Tumultuous court battle upends fight for Senate MORE (R-Maine) said, adding that declaring an emergency would be “of dubious constitutionality.”

A bipartisan conference committee has until Feb. 15 to come up with a deal on border security, after which the government could enter another partial shutdown. Trump has threatened to declare an emergency if the eventual agreement does not include money for a border wall.