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Trump declares Emergency to fund border wall on Mexican border
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Arul Louis | 16 Feb, 2019
President Donald Trump declared a State of Emergency on Friday to fund
his campaign promise of building a wall on the Mexican border after the
Congress resolutely refused to give him the money he wanted.
Trump
backed away from his threat to again shutdown the government if the
legislature did not vote $5.7 billion for the border wall and approved
the bipartisan funding bill without the allocation, and instead resorted
to the Emergency.
He cited the drug-smuggling problems and the
"15,000" people who came to the border in convoys from Central America
and are camped there hoping to cross the frontier, as reasons for his
Emergency.
Unlike in India, an Emergency of the type that Trump
is planning does not bring sweeping powers or allow suspension of civil
rights and arbitrary arrests, but only enables limited action in
government operations.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the
Democratic Party's leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, declared that
imposing an Emergency would be "a lawless act, a gross abuse of the
power of the presidency".
Pelosi said that challenging the Emergency in court was an option.
Announcing
the Emergency at the White House, Trump said that he expected a cases
to be filed in a federal court with judges favouring the Democrats which
he would lose and a subsequent appeal, but would ultimately prevail in
Supreme Court.
Trump also called on the Democrats to work with
him on broad immigration reforms that would include ending immigration
of relatives of citizens, but move towards a merit-based preference for
immigrants.
Congress passed the bill on Thursday with $1.375
billion for a 55-mile fence, nowhere near the $5.7 billion Trump had
demanded for the wall along the Mexican border that he had promised
during his election campaign.
The measure was hammered out by
lawmakers from both parties after Trump allowed the government to reopen
after a 35-day shutdown in a showdown over the wall funding.
Trump
had threatened to veto any bill without the money he demanded for the
wall, but is now agreeing to it while making good on his threat to
impose an Emergency to get money for the wall.
Calling the
Emergency a "presidential over-reach" and "a dangerous precedent",
Democratic Party Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi said: "The
Constitution maintains that only Congress has the power of the purse and
may appropriate funds. This is not a Constitutional power any President
has."
Pelosi said a legal challenge was "an option and we'll review our options".
Several
lawmakers from Trump's own party were against an Emergency declaration.
Republican Senator John Cornyn called it a "dangerous step", saying:
"The President is going to get sued and it won't succeed in
accomplishing his goal."
He added that if Pelosi introduces a resolution against the Emergency, it will split the Republicans.
According
to media reports quoting the White House officials, Trump plans to
spend a total of $8 billion on the border barrier. While there is $1.375
billion allocated in the spending bill, he wants to make up the rest by
diverting money from the military construction budget and funds seized
from drug smugglers and dealers.
Trump had said during his
election campaign that he would make Mexico pay for the border wall - an
unrealistic claim that has continued to haunt him as he sought funding
in the US budget.
While government was under a shutdown with all
but the essential services operating and 800 government employees under
temporary layoff, Trump scaled back his idea of a wall to a series of
metal slats along the border.
Having had to back down from his
funding demand with Pelosi standing firm amid growing opposition to the
shutdown, Trump sees the Emergency as the only way for him to build his
barrier and save his credibility among his most steadfast supporters.
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