President Trump has declared a national emergency to get the funds to build his southern border wall. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated he will support it. This is executive overreach, abuse of the power of the presidency and unilateral usurpation of the powers of Congress. It is also very likely unconstitutional.
This sets a very dangerous precedent and is a slippery slope to unilateral presidential action – where a petulant chief executive can evoke an emergency order any time he or she doesn’t get what they want. This is a big deal, and politicians (and citizens) of every stripe should oppose this – even if they approve of Trump’s policy goal. Another president could declare an emergency over gun control, climate change or banking regulation to make an end run around Congress.
Our senators must buck McConnell – the Senate has been his and the president’s lapdog for too long.
Greg Rossel
Troy
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.