Raiding disaster relief for wall

[struggle4progress]

BY SHANE CROUCHER ON 2/15/19 AT 7:37 AM

he White House is reportedly looking at moving money from disaster-relief funds that Congress had previously approved into funds for the wall.

According to The Associated Press, which cited unnamed congressional aides and White House officials, Trump has been eyeing the $13 billion in disaster-relief funding split into pots to help Puerto Rico, California and Texas, which were hit hard by hurricanes, wildfires and flooding last year.

Trump did not secure any of the $5.7 billion he demanded from Congress to fund his planned steel and concrete wall along 1,000 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Democrats, who now control the House, refused to allocate any money for new wall construction, arguing a wall is expensive and ineffective, and was Trump's response to a manufactured crisis. The president shut down the government for five weeks over the issue of border-wall funding, before signing a temporary spending bill that would keep the government fully running until February 15 ...

https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/430160-trumps-disgraceful-national-emergency-was-inevitabile

[struggle4progress]

1. Disgraceful 'national emergency' was inevitable

BY MARIA CARDONA, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 02/15/19 09:45 AM EST

The president of the United States is about to declare a national emergency. He is doing it because he could not get the money he wanted from Congress to build the unnecessary border wall he promised to his base during two years of campaigning and two years of governing.

In doing so, Donald Trump will be crossing an egregious line of presidential overreach unprecedented in history that could have dire repercussions for years to come.

In allowing it to happen, Republicans will be yet again demonstrating their collective lack of spine, their loss of any moral compass and their willingness to sacrifice what is best for the country at the altar of political expediency and avoidance of wrathful backlash from Trump and his base. As history immortalizes this moment in time, it will not be kind to the GOP ...

A majority of Americans know that Trump's wall is not necessary, that the very people who live on the border do not want it, and they know the reasoning behind the wall is a farce ...

https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/430160-trumps-disgraceful-national-emergency-was-inevitabile

[struggle4progress]

2. A "Lawless Act," "Gross Abuse" Of Presidential Power

Posted By Tim Hains
On Date February 15, 2019

... "If President Trump’s decides to go forward with a disaster declaration he will be making a tremendous mistake," Schumer said. "Declaring a national emergency would be a lawless act, a gross abuse of the power of the presidency, and a desperate attempt to distract from the fact that President Trump broke his core promise that to have Mexico pay for the wall. It would be another demonstration of President Trump’s naked contempt of the rule of the law and congressional authority."

"Congress just debated this very issue. There was no support for the president’s position. Congressional intent on this issue is very clear. The president’s wall has been before Congress several times and has never guarded enough votes to even merit consideration. For the president to declare an emergency now would be unprecedented subversion of Congresses constitutional prerogative," he said ...

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/02/15/schumer_declaring_national_emergency_a_lawless_act_gross_abuse_of_presidential_power.html

[struggle4progress]

3. Republicans screwed by national emergency

Gavin Fernando

... a string of Republican senators have already expressed their concerns. In a statement, Republican congressman Chris Stewart said the President was “making a mistake”, warning the national emergency would “set a dangerous precedent” ...

... Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky said he was “disappointed” with Mr Trump’s decision ...

Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, said declaring a national emergency was a “mistake” ...

Last week, veteran Republican Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley said it set a “bad precedent” ...

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida warned: “If today, the national emergency is border security … tomorrow the national emergency might be climate change” ...

https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/how-republicans-are-getting-screwed-over-by-donald-trumps-national-emergency/news-story/f10c48fe53d5121f8e3fb482e39f69e0

[struggle4progress]

4. Pegs his legacy on the wrong wall

Ken Roberts

... President Trump, smarting from a defeat at the hands of Congress that failed to fund his wall on the southern U.S. border, is planning to declare an emergency where none exists. He wants to build a wall on the border with a friend, Mexico. Our second-largest export market. Third-largest overall trade partner. It won't happen, of course ...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenroberts/2019/02/15/trump-pegs-his-legacy-on-a-wall-the-wrong-wall/#743ffddf277c

[area51]

5. What will TX republinazis do if Trump

raids Harvey disaster funds?

[moondust]

6. Crime against humanity. n/t