Mike Luckovich for February 15, 2019

Trump has just sealed the end of his own power. The very first words of the U.S. Constitution after the Preamble — the first words of the actual body of the Constitution — the first words of the first paragraph of Article I Section 1 are: “All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.”

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that the Congress CANNOT DELEGATE legislative authority — the making of laws — to the Executive. It CAN create agencies in the Executive that promulgate detailed rules, but ONLY within strictly defined parameters that constitute the actual legislation.

The Emergency Powers Act gives the president broad power to define “emergencies.” But the word “emergency” does have meaning. If not, it means the president has the power to legislate, thus making the Act unconstitutional. And “emergency” cannot include a situation of political face-saving on border issue politics, when:

• Illegal border crossings have decreased every year for the last ten years

• illegal border crossings are at a 46-year low

• more Mexican Americans last year LEFT the U.S. and returned to Mexico than came here

• the National Intelligence Estimate recently issued earlier this month, defining threats to national security, DID NOT EVEN MENTION THE SOUTHERN BORDER

But go ahead, Donald. When we replace you with a Democratic president, watch for “national emergencies” on climate change, gun death epidemic and health care.

Toon has it, he’s both.

Funny how the “national emergency” at the boarder wasn’t such for the nearly two years of the Trump Administration in which both houses of Congress were controlled by Republicans.

He’s such a piece of trash.

Lock him up!

No, that is incorrect. He is an international embarrassment.

He’s a global emergency.

Someone needs to sit Agent Orange down with his flash cards and coloring books and slowly explain what the great big word “Emergency” really means. We KNOW that he has NO CLUE, since it has more then one syllable, and is therefore incomprehensible to his tiny mind.

Emergency: “An UNEXPECTED situation or crisis requiring immediate action.” It’s NOT an "emergency if he’s been babbling on about it for over 2 years…

No need to wait for a “national emergency”. He was an embarrassment the day he was born!

Unfortunately, it all depends on Congress – notably, the GOP members. After a desultory resistance to the wall and another shutdown, will these politicians be able to acknowledge that this is a dictatorial action? That Trump feels not just able but ENTITLED to completely bypass the Constitution and the government?

While a lot of reasonable people are nattering about how this would be a “mistake,” and it would open the doors for future Democratic presidents to declare a national emergency over global climate change, for example (something which at least has some foundation), this is wrong on two counts.

First: Trump doesn’t give a crap for the future. “Après moi, le déluge.” If it doesn’t affect him right now, he doesn’t care. As long as he is in charge, which to him means he can make arbitrary orders to anyone he wants, he’s happy.

Second: the “mistake” is that it would fundamentally scupper the Constitution, invoking powers that have only been discussed before in the case of a nuclear war that destroyed Washington and most of the people in it. It is EXACTLY similar to the Reichstag Fire Decree in terms of its implications.

If he tries to do this, it shouldn’t be quietly negotiated in the courts – he should be impeached immediately.

http://jobsanger.blogspot.com/2019/02/british-writer-pens-best-description-of.html?m=1&utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

Just where will he get the money for his ‘emergency’? I’m sure he’ll look for already underfunded agencies.

Liar orange face Trump the disgusting is a total fraud.

Two days ago Congress achieved bipartisan consensus on funding the government to avoid another shutdown, and that was the top story in the day’s news. For the first time this year, the top story didn’t begin with the word “Trump”. Intolerable! What can we do to redirect the spotlight where it so clearly belongs?

If Congress can’t defeat this latest capricious threat, then it’s over for this republic as we knew it: NO elections during “state of emergency”. Most probably Martial Law! This POtuS would enjoy unheard-of control! All to stop few thousands people from entering the country? What has he got the National Guard down there for? No- that’s the whole point- it’s not about stopping immigrants! It’s about finally reaching the pinnacle of supreme power! Democrats in Congress have an unprecedented situation here: saving the nation from dictatorship… With a Psychopath-Of-The-United-States in command of the most powerful military on earth!

I predict tRump with NOT declare an emergency and will simply act as if he were King. Send all praise for my acumen in the form of cash to your favorite charities.

By the way…he tweeted that the 25th Amendment OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION is “Unconstitutional”!!! SERIOUSLY!!!

The “emergency” will be immediately challenged in the courts and thrown out. Next! The Democrats have rolled up their sleeves in the House and are ready to take on one Trump shenanigan at a time. Here we go! The courts are still available as a check against Trump and we now have a Democratic majority in the House. Things are getting a little more bumpy for Trumpy.

His kind of governing is good only in cartoons such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Maybe a little Elmer Fudd thrown in too.

The “emergency” is that we have too many babies and not enough cages……….

Actually, Li’l Donnie likes the Scandinavian countries so much the relevant cartoon character might be Wally Walrus……..

Maybe we could publicly spank him with a rolled up copy of the US Constitution.

I wonder…will congress ever focus on fixing immigration, strengthening the ACA, restore voting rights and fix gerrymandering, present an infrastructure bill, fix campaign finance reform, restore our standing in the world? Those are just a few things. Am I asking too much. I’m so tired of this damned wall stuff. And I am sick and tired of an embarrassing president who is ruled by Fox News and 40 percent of the population. What about the rest of us. It’s our country too. Oh and…fix that so called tax reform so that the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share of taxes.

His Plan is to steal money from Actual Natural Disasters and transfer it to his “Wall Fund” and hope no one notices how much of the money just Disappears into a tRump Bank Account on the way.

The Putz-in-Chief declared his emergency, then jetted (on our dime) to Mar-A-Vulgar. Such leadership!

hahahaha is a troll, and not a very good one either. Don’t feed it.

Thought I was going to throw up after trump press conference today. It is so sad many are becoming inured to the madness of trump. Ann Coulter just said the only national emergency is our president is an idiot. I agree with her on that much.

I declare a Mental Health Emergency. Let’s exercise the 25th Amendment forthwith.

“It is anticipated that $3.5 billion will come from the military construction budget, which is intended to improve military bases, many of which are in dire need of overhaul. North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune alone sustained an estimated $3.6 billion in damages during Hurricane Florence, which struck in September 2018.”

“Trump is expected to tap an additional $2.5 billion from DOD’s drug interdiction operations, targeting drugs coming into the United States at official ports of entry.

According to Customs and Border Protection, the bulk of the drugs seized at the southern border were trying to be smuggled at official borders or ports of entry — something a border wall would not address."