National emergencies
31/1/19 16:44![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
airiefairie posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
talkpoliticsThere is a reason that many Republican politicians are very reluctant about Trump using emergency powers to circumvent Congress to build his wall. They know that if this ploy is successful it will be used again by Democratic presidents. Climate change will be one of the first opportunities to use such powers. Far more Americans support stronger environmental policies than support Trump's wall. This could be a great new tool to get around the influence of lobbyists. Next stop, using emergency powers to combat another national emergency, gun violence.
This is very similar to when Harry Reid changed the rules of the Senate and it had lasting repercussions. The only difference here is that national emergencies can be removed by the next president so, if constantly used like I described, the country could be in a constant state of flux. Trump uses emergency powers to build a wall, the next president removes the national emergency and the wall goes by the wayside. The next Democrat president uses emergency powers for gun control or climate change, and then the next president removes that emergency too. And so on and so forth.
It would be a disaster.
My hope is the Dems will reduce the powers of the president, now that they have started working do undo some of the messes caused by him. After all, Congress does have the right to limit or strip the national emergency powers from the Presidency. Let's see if that happens. However, I doubt those in power are likely going to use that power to cripple themselves in the long-term.
This is very similar to when Harry Reid changed the rules of the Senate and it had lasting repercussions. The only difference here is that national emergencies can be removed by the next president so, if constantly used like I described, the country could be in a constant state of flux. Trump uses emergency powers to build a wall, the next president removes the national emergency and the wall goes by the wayside. The next Democrat president uses emergency powers for gun control or climate change, and then the next president removes that emergency too. And so on and so forth.
It would be a disaster.
My hope is the Dems will reduce the powers of the president, now that they have started working do undo some of the messes caused by him. After all, Congress does have the right to limit or strip the national emergency powers from the Presidency. Let's see if that happens. However, I doubt those in power are likely going to use that power to cripple themselves in the long-term.
