Trump’s national emergency: from shutdown frying pan to constitutional fire

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is finally ending America’s shutdown standoff, but diving headlong into what’s expected to trigger a fresh constitutional crisis — virtually in the same breath.

Trump is declaring a national emergency in order to secure billions of dollars for his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall, even as he signs a funding bill to keep the U.S. government open.

The compromise by Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill the president is agreeing to falls well short of the $5.7 billion he has demanded for a border barrier.

So he’s making good on a threat to declare an emergency at the southern border in order to bypass the legislative branch and make up the balance with disaster funding from the Department of Defense, which doesn’t require approval from Congress.

The move has opponents on both sides of the congressional aisle who consider it an abuse of executive power.

It also exposes prominent Republicans — including Trump himself — to cries of hypocrisy, considering the outrage they showed at former president Barack Obama’s frequent use of executive action.

The Canadian Press

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