As the partial government shutdown drags on in the United States, something truly insane is emerging as a possibility for President Donald Trump: a national emergency purposely declared to secure funding for his border wall.
On Saturday night, multiple journalists in Washington reported that Trump was floating the idea of purposely declaring a national emergency over the security of America’s southern border, by which he could legally move money around to fund his ridiculous border wall.
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Both Robert Costa of NBC News and Maggie Haberman of The New York Times brought some insight into what might become an even more volatile situation in the midst of the current government shutdown (below):
Trump confidant tells me he’s still talking today about declaring a national emergency if talks collapse… and he’s getting encouraged by several of his friends on hard right to do just that, knowing it’d be challenged immediately
— Robert Costa (@costareports) January 5, 2019
More on what @costareports is hearing – Trump has been talking about it for several days, and White House counsel's office has taken a look at what is possible since the shutdown began and Trump revived talk of this inside White House. https://t.co/3KiZdOnOrY
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 5, 2019
And then on Sunday, Trump himself more or less confirmed to reporters that he’d been thinking about this exact option, saying (below):
“I may decide a national emergency depending on what happens over the next few days.”
Um… what?!
That’s a huge deal, in no small part because declaring a national emergency (when there ISN’T one, by the way) would allow him to re-allocate funds from the Department of Defense and other areas to ensure that he can build his stupid wall.
Whereas Democrats in Congress (hopefully) won’t agree to give Trump a single damn penny to fund this ill-fated, poorly-planned wall, a national emergency would theoretically give him enough cover to re-allocate as much money as he needs for it without ever needing to work with Congress.
Absurd!!! And so sketchy!!!
As some have noted, there is still a bit of a question whether Trump truly has the authority to do this — for one, he’d surely be challenged in court if he did — but the precedent (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.) is there, as Congressman Adam Smith told ABC News this weekend (below):
“Unfortunately, the short answer is yes [that Trump could declare a national emergency for wall funding.] I think the president would be wide open to a court challenge saying, ‘Where is the emergency?’ You have to establish that in order to do this. But beyond that, this would be a terrible use of department of Defense dollars.”
No kidding to that last part!!
And more broadly… f*ck this entire idea!! So under-handed!!
[Image via WENN.]
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