Donald Trump’s move to fund his border wall is being called “legally dicey” by the Washington Post. No doubt it will be challenged in the courts by Democrats and regardless who prevails, neither side is happy. We’ve come a long way from Mexico paying for border wall construction. American taxpayers may soon foot the bill. From NBC News:
“Let’s be honest: The emergency that President Trump faces at the border isn’t a real national emergency — it’s a perceived political one.
“And that’s why, after Congress passed a deal on Thursday that includes just $1.375 billion for fencing and barriers, the president is set to declare a national emergency and take executive action to secure the money to build his desired border wall, opening a Pandora’s Box and guaranteeing months and years of lawsuits over his action.”
What’s is the emergency declaration? According to ABC News it includes:
- $600 million from the Treasury’s drug forfeiture fund
- $2.5 billion – Department of Defense’s drug interdiction program
- $3.5 billion DoD military construction budget
- Plus the $1.375 billion appropriated for a fence in the current spending bill – funds can be used for barrier, not a wall
Even some of Trump’s one-time supporters on the right know this “emergency” for what it is.
Jonathan Bernstein of Bloomberg Opinion writes:
“To declare an emergency simply to pay for a presidential priority, and just after signing an appropriations bill that declined to fund it, appears to be new. It’s a significant threat to Congress’s spending powers under Article I of the Constitution. And there’s a good chance that Trump’s plans exceed his authorities. Expect immediate lawsuits and probably an injunction blocking the scheme until it’s been adjudicated.”
News, analysis and opinion by News and Guts
