NATIONAL EMERGENCY
COVID-19
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
“I’m officially declaring a national emergency… We will defeat this threat. When America is tested, America rises to the occasion.”
“These kind of things generally run out in a few months. Hopefully, we’ll make it several weeks — eight, nine, whatever weeks. But I can’t give you a number because it depends on how successful we are.”
MORE MONEY: Last week, Pres. Trump signed a $8.3 billion emergency funding bill to combat COVID-19, but that money will soon run out. Congress is *reportedly* on the verge of agreeing to another federal stimulus package.
“Ita s very simple: We want to stop drugs from coming into our country.A We want to stop criminals and gangs from coming into our country.”
Can He Do It?
“This is authority given to the president in law already. It’s not as if he just didn’t get what he wanted so he’s waving a magic wand and taking a bunch of money.”
“This is plainly a power grab by a disappointed president, who has gone outside the bounds of the law to try to get what he failed to achieve in the constitutional legislative process.”
Past nat’l emergency declarations incl. sanctions and/or $$ for emergency disasters
(natural & man-made) such as:
Advocacy groups, landowners, state governments & beyond can legally challenge Pres. Trump's declaration. Federal law doesna t define an emergency. The President can declare it but Congress can terminate it. Bottom Line: This ain't over folks.
3 Highlights from the President’s first Oval Office Address.
“This is a humanitarian crisis — a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul.”
Dems Disagree
Border wall doesn’t have to be a wall at all.
“…law enforcement professionals have requested $5.7 billion for a physical barrier. At the request of Democrats, it will be a steel barrier rather than a concrete wall.”
Democrats have often said a border wall is “immoral” and “ineffective.”
“… why do wealthy politicians build walls, fences, and gates around their homes? They dona t build walls because they hate the people on the outside, but because they love the people on the inside.”
Pres. says Dept. of Homeland Security made request for funding.
“cutting-edge technology for detecting drugs, weapons, illegal contraband and many other things. We have requested more agents, immigration judges, and bed space… Our plan also contains an urgent request for humanitarian assistance and medical support.”
“This president just used the backdrop of the Oval Office to manufacture a crisis, stoke fear and divert attention from the turmoil in his administration.”
The President invited congressional leadership to the White House Wednesday for further negotiations to end of the gov't shutdown, now officially the second longest in history. Dems want POTUS to divorce the issue of border security from gov't funding.
“I can do it if I want… We can call a national emergency and build it very quickly.”
A president can declare a national emergency – EVERY president since 1976 has done so –A *BUT* may President Trump do so in order to fund a border wall?
What To Know
The 1976 National Emergencies Act allows a president to declare an emergency in order to, among other things:
The Act does NOT define “national emergency.”A The president must use existing laws to do so.
BOTTOM LINE: Yes, it is within President Trump's legal authority to declare a national emergency without Congressional approval, *HOWEVER* if he does so in order to build a border wall, he is all but guaranteed to face a legal challenge.
a We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.a
With one tweet, the President ignites a firestorm about whether the U.S. will completely withdraw from Syria.
As of today, we don’t know when…or how…but here’s why it matters.
ISIS lost territory:A Dept. of Defense estimates 90% of ISIS captured territory is now reclaimed.
ISIS lost leverage: Areas once held by ISIS, like strategic cities like Raqqa, are now free from ISIS control.
Money: Pres. Trump has repeatedly said America has wasted money in the Middle East and he wants to reinvest elsewhere.
a The biggest winners in this are ISIS and Iran.a
The last American soldier killed in Syria died in a roadside bomb attack back in March - the same month the President said the U.S. would leave Syria "very soon." A total of 4 American soldiers have reportedly died in Syria since 2014.
U.S. asylum applications are up 200% in 5 years – theA highest level in 2 decades.
Now, as a caravan of immigrants makes its way through Mexico toward the U.S., the Trump Administration has a new plan.
BUT IS IT LEGAL?
“Our asylum system is overwhelmed with too many meritless asylum claims from aliens who place a tremendous burden on our resources, preventing us from being able to expeditiously grant asylum to those who truly deserve it.”
a U.S. law specifically allows individuals to apply for asylum whether or not they are at a port of entry. It is illegal to circumvent that by agency or presidential decree.”
The caravan of several thousand people is still hundreds of miles from the border near Mexico City. El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras are among the top countries for asylum seekers in U.S. - the most applicants approved come from China.
When you fill up the tank, chances are 10% of your gasoline is corn-based ethanolA … President Trump now wants to make it 15%.
So what’s the big deal?
Lend us your ear
Unclear if U.S. is ready for E15. Gas producers don’t want to be liable for damage to cars & some states don’t have infrastructure (underground gas tanks, etc) for E15.
But ‘Renewable Fuels Standard’, which was created in 2005, requires oil companies to add 36B gallons of ethanol to gas supplies by 2022 (only 12B gals used now).
An E15 mandate may open up sales year-round, but that doesn't necessarily mean consumers will buy it. Gas stations now advertise "ethanol-free" gas to improve fuel economy, others drivers say they believe it extends the life of their vehicle.
The President used this phrase twice in his speech at the UN General Assembly.
When he used it and why it matters.
“The Iranian people are rightly outraged that their leaders have embezzled billions of dollars from Irana s treasury, seized valuable portions of the economy, and looted the peoplea s religious endowments, all to line their own pockets and send their proxies to wage war. Not good.”
“OPEC and OPEC nations, are, as usual, ripping off the rest of the world, and I dona t like it. Nobody should like it. We defend many of these nations for nothing, and then they take advantage of us by giving us high oil prices. Not good.“
The President began his UN speech speaking about the American economy, stating "America is governed by Americans. We reject the ideology of globalism, and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism."
“NO COLLUSION – RIGGED WITCH HUNT!”
What *exactly* can the special counsel investigate?
WHAT IS A SPECIAL COUNSEL?
An independent prosecutor appointed by the Department of Justice to lead an investigation separate from the usual chain of command.
In March 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from investigations related to the 2016 presidential campaign.
In May 2017, the Deputy Attorney General appointed Robert Mueller, the former FBI Director (2001 – 2013), as Special Counsel to oversee the Trump-Russia investigation.
“I did not want Paul Manafort to be guilty, but he was …. the charges were legitimate, but the prosecution tried to make the case about the Russian collusion ….. I think that they used Manafort to try to get the dirt on Trump.”
Since the Special Counsel's investigation began in May 2017, 26 Russian nationals, 4 former Trump aides, 1 California man and 1 Dutch lawyer have been charged. The case against Michael Cohen reportedly arose at of a referral from the Special Counsel.
4+ million Americans have security clearances.
President Trump revoked 1.
Why some say stripping former CIA Dir. John Brennan of his clearance is an attack on free speech, while others say it had to be done.
BIGGER PICTURE
“Mr. Brennan has recently leveraged his status as a former high-ranking official with access to highly sensitive information to make a series of unfounded and outrageous allegations a wild outbursts on the Internet and television a about this administration.
Click: His Criticism“This action is part of a broader effort by Mr. Trump to suppress freedom of speech & punish critics.A It should gravely worry all Americans, including intelligence professionals, about the cost of speaking out. My principles are worth far more than clearances. I will not relent.”
The topic of revoking security clearances came up several weeks ago when some, like Brennan criticized the President's meeting with Vladimir Putin. Is Brennan sowing "division & chaos" or exercising free speech? Does social media change the equation?
Pres. Trump nominated Justice Anthony Kennedy’s former law clerk to fill his seat.
Good Example of What’s To Come
During the 2006 confirmation hearing following his appointment to the D.C. Circuit of Appeals, Sen. Schumer grilled Kavanaugh over his involvement in Pres. Clinton’s impeachment and his take on Roe v. Wade.
Republicans control the Senate by a 50-49 majority due to Sen. John McCain’s prolonged absence, limiting the impact of any efforts by the Democrats to thwart Trumpa s nominee.
Kavanaugh served as a law clerk for Justice Kennedy alongside Pres. Trump's 2017 Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. Justice Kennedy was appointed by a republican president (Reagan) but was the court's "swing" vote not wedded to one ideology.
The President takes action on immigration as lawmakers struggle to find compromise. But even as Pres. Trump signed the order, he predicted a legal battle ahead – a similarA battle confronted by the Obama Admin.
FLIP FOR DETAILS
“A federal judge, Dolly M. Gee, scuttled the Obama teama s efforts to jail families together in 2015 when she ruled that doing so violated the agreement and said migrant children couldna t be held more than 20 days.”
The President's Executive Order doesna t change the status of children already separated. Thata s TBD.