Originally Posted by
UKHistory
The President declaring a national emergency bypassing Congressional authority over the budget is a big deal.
A national emergency is not an opinion. It is a judgment call and a very serious one. In a Constitutional Republic it is a big deal to bypass the authority bestowed on Congress in Article I. This is especially true when you mobilize US troops on American soil.
With Katrina or something it makes sense. Also a national emergency should not b defined as a last resort in a budgetary negotiation.
Beyond the very legitimate issue of immigration reform and border security, any president who lowers the threshold for this type of budgetary debate to be labeled a national emergency is setting the country up to have a neutered Congress. Not that Congress has not done that to itself in many ways. The executive, legislative and judiciary branches need to cooperatively restrain each other to ensure individual liberty is not taken away briskly.
The border, secured as it is today, is a national crisis according to the President. Well Hell the state of our bomber fleet and fighter squadrons due to sequestration was probably more of a national emergency and risk to our safety than the border.
If the FDA can't bring food inspectors back to work, we will see a health national emergency pretty quick. The economic impact of Federal workers and agencies shut down--big issue. Contractors directly and indirectly receiving funds helps keep the wheels of this economy moving. Not all of it--but a lot.
A year ago Trump was offered 20 billion for the wall in exchange for DACA. He didn't deal. He double down and wanted to end chain migration and make it harder for folks to come America and didn't take the money.
There should be a concrete, no pun intended, plan of how to secure the border in a realistic and practical fashion.
National emergencies should not have to be debated or used as back pocket threat. Especially a threat that could chip away even further at free society.
He turned 20 billion.
There is nothing immoral about borders. Imminent domain and denying access to the Rio Grande--immoral. Sometimes imminent domain is necessary but still awful.
A realistic, detailed thoughtful plan needs to developed. Whether it is steel slats or concrete, how long it actually would be.
Heck use the army corp of engineers working with career DHS staff to assess the area and determine how and where wall/fencing makes sense, what else we need and put that plan before Congress and the American people (nothing classified of course to the public). And' lets go from here.
Spouting about it does nothing.