national emergency declaration

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House Asks Judge to Block Trump’s Use of Funds for Wall

April 23, 2019

The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday asked a judge to issue a preliminary injunction to prevent President Donald Trump from using funds identified from his national emergency declaration to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, CNN reports.

“Defendants are moving quickly to construct the border wall, and they have awarded contracts against funds that Congress did not appropriate for that purpose,” House General Counsel Doug Letter and other lawyers wrote in a 56-page motion filed to U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden. “And more contracts are coming soon. Once made, these unconstitutional expenditures cannot be undone, and the grave institutional injury inflicted on the House cannot be remedied.”

Trump declared a national emergency in mid-February in an attempt to secure more funding to build a barrier, a move that resulted in roughly $6 billion from the Pentagon’s budget and $600 million from the Treasury Department being shifted over to use for the barrier.

Trump, House lawyers said, violated the U.S. Constitution with his decision to do so.

“The decision to spend funds ‘without Congress’ violates the Appropriations Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which mandates that ‘[n]o Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law,'” they wrote.

Lawmakers earlier in the month only allocated $1.375 billion for the barrier, far less than the $5.7 billion Trump requested.

Source: NewsMax America

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“We Can’t Take You Anymore”: Trump Says US Is “Full” During Border Speech

April 5, 2019

Hours after California and 19 other states filed a lawsuit to try and stop President Trump from appropriating funds for his border wall via his national emergency declaration, President Trump flew to Calexico for a press conference with immigration agents and border patrol officials that was tantamount to flipping a giant middle finger to the state’s recently inaugurated, rapidly anti-Trump governor, Gavin Newsom. Not to mention California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who has repeatedly challenged the Trump administration on immigration-related issues.

Bolstered by a flurry of news stories about the rapidly deteriorating situation at the border, which is being exacerbated by an unprecedented surge in the number of asylum seekers from Central America, Trump declared that at least 400 miles of his promised wall would be built over the next two years, and blamed Democrats for the slow progress so far. Trump has been pushing Congress to tighten asylum rules, to make it harder for migrants to qualify.

Trump

Notably, his visit came a day after he withdrew his nominee to lead ICE, the longtime border official Ron Vitiello, who had appeared to be on track for confirmation until Trump decided he wanted to go in a “tougher direction.”

He also repeated his explanation for backing off his threat to close the border, saying that Mexico has been cracking down on migrants traveling through its territory, and reiterated his threat to tariff auto parts and close the border if significant progress hasn’t been made in a year, according to the Associated Press.

During the press conference, Trump shared a message to migrants that he described as “our new statement,” and warned anyone traveling to the US – whether it’s to declare asylum, or enter illegally – to instead “turn around.”

“This is our new statement- the system is full. We can’t take you anymore. Whether it’s asylum or anything you want – illegal immigration – we can’t take you anymore. Our country is full. Our area is full. The sector is full. Can’t take you anymore, I’m sorry. Turn around.”

During the meeting, Trump was presented with a piece of the future border wall.

Unsurprisingly, the president’s visit triggered Gov. Newsom to condemn the president’s efforts to shut down immigration,.

“Since our founding, this country has been a place of refuge – a safe haven for people fleeing tyranny, oppression and violence. His words show a total disregard of the Constitution, our justice system, and what it means to be an American,” said Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Watch a clip from his speech below:

Source: InfoWars

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Twenty states file motion to block Trump border wall funding: N.Y. attorney general

April 5, 2019

The old (bottom R) and the new border fence dividing U.S. and Mexico is seen from Tecate
The old (bottom R) and the new border fence dividing U.S. and Mexico is seen from Tecate, Mexico April 4, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

April 5, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Twenty U.S. states have filed a motion to block President Donald Trump’s method of funding a border wall by diverting federal funds through a national emergency declaration, the New York state attorney general said on Friday.

“This wall is unnecessary, and an abuse of power that will take away resources that could be used to help Americans across our nation,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said on Twitter.

The states filed a lawsuit in February after Trump declared a national emergency to help build a border wall that was a signature of his 2016 campaign for president. The motion for a preliminary injunction to block Trump’s effort that was filed late Thursday formalized that request.

Trump’s order would allow him to spend money on the wall that Congress appropriated for other purposes. Congress declined to fulfill his request for $5.7 billion to help build the wall this year.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jeffrey Benkoe)

Source: OANN

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20 States File Motion to Block Trump Border Wall Funding: NY Attorney General

April 5, 2019

Twenty U.S. states have filed a motion to block President Donald Trump’s method of funding a border wall by diverting federal funds through a national emergency declaration, the New York state attorney general said on Friday.

“This wall is unnecessary, and an abuse of power that will take away resources that could be used to help Americans across our nation,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said on Twitter.

The states filed a lawsuit in February after Trump declared a national emergency to help build a border wall that was a signature of his 2016 campaign for president. The motion for a preliminary injunction to block Trump’s effort that was filed late Thursday formalized that request.

Trump’s order would allow him to spend money on the wall that Congress appropriated for other purposes. Congress declined to fulfill his request for $5.7 billion to help build the wall this year.

Source: NewsMax Politics

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Pentagon Oks $1 Billion For 57 Miles of Wall

March 26, 2019


The Pentagon informed Congress Monday night that it authorized $1 billion dollars for the construction of the wall on the U.S.-Mexico Border.

The Department of Defense said in a statement that “These funds will be used to support DHS’s request to build 57 miles of 18-foot-high pedestrian fencing, constructing and improving roads, and installing lighting within the Yuma and El Paso Sectors of the border in support of the February 15 national emergency declaration on the southern border of the United States.”

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan will appear on Capitol Hill at a House Armed Services Committee to take any questions lawmakers may have on the Pentagon’s actions. 

The Associated Press reports that the Pentagon’s plans could take funding from as many as 150 projects around the world.  However, defense officials have said that any funds taken away will be refunded next year.

President Trump addresses law enforcement working daily to secure the United States Border, and promises that the wall will be built.

Democratic lawmakers have raised an outcry, saying it is not believable that Congress will simply refund money in this way.

“We take our oversight role very seriously, and will act as necessary to defend Congress’ constitutional prerogatives in this matter,” said Democratic Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the chairman of the House panel.

All Democratic senators on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s subcommittees on Defense and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies signed a letter objecting to the funding for the wall, according to CNN.

(Photo by David B. Gleason, Flickr)

“We strongly object to both the substance of the funding transfer, and to the Department implementing the transfer without seeking the approval of the congressional defense committees and in violation of provisions in the defense appropriation itself,” the senators wrote in the letter. “As a result, we have serious concerns that the Department has allowed political interference and pet projects to come ahead of many near-term, critical readiness issues facing our military.”

The Pentagon has authorized the money and the Trump administration has said it will be using another $1.5 billion sometime in the future. The news has been widely celebrated by Republicans who have pushed this initiative, including Donald Trump Jr. He hailed the news as another Trump victory, in addition to the results of the Mueller investigation and the charges against Michael Avenatti.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry gave a statement on the current power of corporations and what may lie ahead for Big Tech. Gerald Celente joins Alex to discuss solutions as America wakes up to Big Tech tyranny.

Source: InfoWars

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Sen. Blunt Disinvited From Event After Voting Against Trump

March 19, 2019

Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt has been disinvited from a local Republican event in his home state next month amid anger over his vote to block President Donald Trump’s use of emergency powers to build a border wall, The Kansas City Star reported on Tuesday.

Blunt, who won re-election in 2016 by three percentage points on Trump’s coattails, was one of 12 GOP senators to join Democrats in opposing the president’ national emergency declaration.

“I am so disappointed in you now that I can hardly speak,” Wanda Martens, a member of the Christian County Republican Central Committee who serves as the local party committee’s event chair, wrote in an email to Blunt’s office, saying she did not want him to show up for the GOP event.  

However, Chuck Branch, another central committee member, disagreed with Martens, saying “Taking it to a personal level of not inviting him to a Republican event seems to be crossing a line in my view.”

But Ed Martin, a former Missouri Republican chair who serves as president of the conservative Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund, insisted the backlash against Blunt is widespread among conservative grassroots activists.

In explaining his vote, Blunt said it was a matter of principle because he also opposed executive overreach during the Obama administration and warned the precedent would allow a future Democratic president to use the National Emergencies Act to enact gun control or strict environmental regulations opposed by Republicans.

Blunt pointed out that no president has ever used the National Emergencies Act “this way, where (you) ask the Congress to do something, go through that whole constitutional process and then, when you don’t get what you ask for that way, just decide, ‘Well, it’s an emergency.’”

Source: NewsMax Politics

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Beyond Veto: Trump Seeks More Workarounds to Avoid Congress

March 16, 2019

President Donald Trump's first veto was more than a milestone. It signals a new era of ever perilous relations between the executive and legislative branches of government.

Trump's agenda was stymied even before his party lost unified control of Washington at the start of the year and he has grown increasingly frustrated by his dealings with Congress, believing little of substance will get done by the end of his first term and feeling just as pessimistic about the second, according to White House aides, campaign staffers and outside allies.

Republicans in Congress are demonstrating new willingness to part ways with the president. On the Senate vote Thursday rejecting the president's national emergency declaration to get border wall funding, 12 Republicans joined Democrats in voting against Trump.

The 59-41 vote against Trump's declaration was just the latest blow as tensions flare on multiple fronts.

Trump tweeted one word after the vote: "VETO!" And he eagerly flexed that muscle on Friday for the first time, hoping to demonstrate resolve on fulfilling his 2016 campaign pledge.

GOP senators had repeatedly agitated for compromise deals that would give them political cover to support Trump despite their concerns that he was improperly circumventing Congress. But the president was never convinced that any of the proposals ensured the resolution would be defeated, said a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal thinking.

A last-ditch trip to the White House by a group of senators Wednesday night only irritated Trump, who felt they were offering little in the way of new solutions.

As the vote neared, Trump repeatedly made clear that it was about party fealty and border security and suggested that voting against him could be perilous.

"It's going to be a great election issue," he predicted.

Looking past the veto, Trump's plans for future collaboration with Congress appear limited. With the exception of pushing for approval of his trade deal with Mexico and Canada, the president and his allies see little benefit for investing more political capital on Capitol Hill. Trump ran against Washington in 2016, and he is fully expected to do so again.

Trump once declared that "I alone can fix it." But that was before getting hamstrung in Washington, and he is now exploring opportunities to pursue executive action to work around lawmakers, as he did with his emergency declaration on the border wall. He is directing aides to find other areas where he can act — or at least be perceived as acting — without Congress, including infrastructure and drug prices.

Trump made his intentions clear recently as he assessed that Democrats would rather investigate him than cooperate on policy: "Basically, they've started the campaign. So the campaign begins."

His dealings with Congress were inconsistent even when Republicans controlled both chambers, and he has made few overtures to Democrats since they won control of the House.

Trump initially predicted he could work across the aisle, but that sentiment cooled after the bitter government shutdown fight and in the face of mounting investigations. His frustrations are evidence of the difficulty that the Washington neophyte and former business executive has had with the process of lawmaking, and the challenges yet to come.

The White House argues there are still opportunities for collaboration, listing ratification of the Canada-Mexico trade pact as a priority. But passage is anything but assured.

Trump's ire has been directed at both parties for some time, aides said. He was upset with the Republicans' performance during the recent congressional hearing featuring his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, telling allies that he was not impressed with their questioning.

Trump's budget proposal this past week was viewed as a shot at Democrats, with its proposals to increase money for the border wall and cut to social safety net programs. The plan, which had little in the way of new or bipartisan ideas, was declared dead on arrival by Democratic House leaders.

Further stoking tensions, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., invited NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to address an upcoming joint meeting of Congress, in what was widely seen as a rebuke of Trump's criticism of the trans-Atlantic alliance. The invitation was backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and followed votes earlier this year in which Republicans voiced opposition to Trump's plans to draw down U.S. troops in Syria and Afghanistan.

Presidential complaints about Congress — and efforts to find a workaround — are nothing new.

President Barack Obama in 2014 resorted to what became known as his "pen and phone" strategy.

"I've got a pen to take executive actions where Congress won't, and I've got a telephone to rally folks around the country on this mission," he said.

Obama's strategy yielded years of executive orders and regulatory action, but many proved ephemeral when Trump took office and started unwinding them.

Source: NewsMax Politics

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America in 31 Ongoing National Emergencies

March 15, 2019

Well, if you’re any kind of news junkie, you probably know that the Senate voted this week to reject President Trump’s national emergency declaration.

But fear ye not – there are plenty of other national emergencies on the table!

On a side note, I don’t know about you, but I find it a little disconcerting that the government can’t even agree whether or not there is an emergency. I mean, for the most part, you know when there’s an emergency situation, right? It’s pretty obvious. The house is on fire – emergency! The heat goes out and it’s 20-below – emergency! You run out of M&Ms – emergency.

But this is the government. Those people can’t agree on anything. They would argue about the color of the sky. So, is there an emergency on the border or no? Who knows.

Taxation is theft, and forcing Americans to pay for something they don’t want to fund is immoral.

At any rate, if you’re concerned about not having an emergency due to congressional stonewalling, well, don’t you worry. Because like I said, there are still plenty of emergencies for the government to attend to.

Thirty-one to be precise.

I kid you not. There are 31 national emergencies in effect, right at this very moment. That’s not including the 2019 build the wall crisis.

For instance, Jimmy Carter declared a national emergency in response to the Iran hostage crisis. That went into effect on Nov. 14, 1979. Forty years later, it’s still in effect. In case you’ve forgotten, the hostages were released in 1981.

Now, you might think some absent-minded bureaucrat forgot to end the national emergency when the hostages came home. Nope. These things have to be renewed every year. So, why is this one still in effect? I’m sure the government could give you a good reason. And by good, I mean dumb. But I’m going to guess that it has something to do with giving some government entity (like the executive branch) some kind of unconstitutional power they shouldn’t have ever had in the first place. You can call me cynical, but you know I’m not wrong.

Here’s another ongoing emergency that was declared on March 1, 1996. It involves “Regulations of the Anchorage and Movement of Vessels with Respect to Cuba.” This was declared after civilian planes were shot down near Cuba. Looks like they solved that one too. Last time I checked, there haven’t been any planes shot down over that way recently.

Clinton also declared a national emergency “With Respect to Blocking Sudanese Government Property and Prohibiting Transactions with Sudan.” I’m glad the government is on that one.

(Photo by Arend, Flickr)

Here’s a fun one courtesy of George W. Bush. He declared a national emergency “With Respect to Export Control Regulations.” This renewed presidential power to control exports during a national emergency after the Export Administration Act of 1979 lapsed. So, in essence, Bush declared an emergency so that he could control exports in the event of an emergency.

And it shouldn’t escape you that there is ALWAYS some kind of emergency. (Or 31. Or 32, depending on how you count Trump’s emergency.)

Of course, we’re still under the state of emergency that was declared after 9-11.

Bush was pretty fond of national emergencies. So was Obama. Between them, the declared 21 that remain in effect today. Most of them involve economic sanctions. They read like this one – courtesy of Barack Obama.

“A National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine.” This was in response to the Russian invasion of Crimea.

Basically, this is a workaround Congress. The president can declare an emergency and regulate trade without having to bother with the Congresscritters. This is wise from the president’s perspective given Trump’s recent experience. Best to keep those “representatives of the people” out of the loop as much as possible.

Obama declared 10 of these national emergencies – all still in effect.

And the wall emergency wasn’t Trump’s first 911 call. He’s declared three other emergencies, the most recent on Nov. 27.

“The National Emergency With Respect to Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Nicaragua was declared by President Trump in response to violence and the Ortega regime’s “systematic dismantling and undermining of democratic institutions and the rule of law” that constitutes an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”

So – there ya go! It’s a constant emergency situation here in America. But don’t panic. Government officials have it all under control.

Now, you’ll have to excuse me. I’m almost out of M&Ms!

Paul Joseph Watson exposes the smears being pushed by the left.

Source: InfoWars

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12 GOP Senators Opposed Trump on Border Emergency

March 14, 2019

A dozen Republicans voted to terminate President Donald Trump's national emergency declaration Thursday, joining their Democratic colleagues to oppose the tactic that freed up money for a border wall.

The final tally was 59-41, which puts it eight votes short of the required number to override a presidential veto.

Trump responded to the vote with a one-word tweet that read, "VETO!"

The full list of GOP senators who voted to overturn the presidential order:

  • Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.
  • Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.
  • Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine
  • Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah
  • Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan.
  • Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska
  • Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
  • Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio
  • Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah
  • Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
  • Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.
  • Sen. Roger Wicker, R- Miss.

Source: NewsMax Politics

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Trump: GOP Vote for Senate Bill Is a Vote for Crime

March 14, 2019

As the Senate considers legislation to terminate his national emergency declaration, President Donald Trump said GOP lawmakers in favor of the measure would be voting for House Speaker Nancy “Pelosi, crime and open border Democrats.”

Trump’s comments about the bill came in three tweets posted Thursday morning.

He wrote: “Prominent legal scholars agree that our actions to address the National Emergency at the Southern Border and to protect the American people are both CONSTITUTIONAL and EXPRESSLY authorized by Congress….”

Trump added: “….If, at a later date, Congress wants to update the law, I will support those efforts, but today’s issue is BORDER SECURITY and Crime!!! Don’t vote with Pelosi!

And he said: “A vote for today’s resolution by Republican Senators is a vote for Nancy Pelosi, Crime, and the Open Border Democrats!”

Trump has said he is “prepared to veto” the legislation that would end his national emergency declaration at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Senate was expected to pass the bill later in the day.

Source: NewsMax Politics

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