Trump: I Have $23 Billion For Border Wall, Congressmen Argue Over Whether Trump Can Shift Funds

Citizen Free Press ^

[Based Newsman]

Congressmen Tom Reed and John Garamendi argue over President Trump using $23 billion in alternative funds to build the wall.

https://youtu.be/cx0EDsovFoo

Trump tweeted in the last few hours…

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1095469449052868610

Will be getting almost $23 BILLION for Border Security. Regardless of Wall money, it is being built as we speak!

[for-q-clinton]

Soldiers aren’t cheap.

[COBOL2Java]

Not in this case The “slush” funds he will be using have been established over decades and used by numerous administrations. There was a list posted back before Christmas. You might search for it if you’re interested.

I doubt the searching will be done. NeverTrumpers and Trolls tend to ignore facts that contradict their biases.

[DownInFlames]

That’s right. Congress appropriates money for specific departments. It cannot be moved around.

[woodbutcher1963]

From Census article posted on FR today:

These states are poised to lose seats:
•New York will lose two, from 27 to 25;
•Alabama will lose one, from seven to six;
•California will lose one or remain even, from 53 to 52 or no change;
•Michigan will lose one, from 14 to 13;
•Minnesota will lose one or remain even, from eight to seven or no change;
•Ohio will lose one, from 16 to 15;
•Pennsylvania will lose one, from 18 to 17;
•Rhode Island will lose one, from two to one; and
•West Virginia will lose one, from three to two.

[semimojo]

You mean like sending billions in cash and gold to Iran in exchange for hostages?

That wasn't taxpayers' money.

[SmokingJoe]

The Executive can only spend money as the Congress directs.

Which congress approved the billions Obama gave to Iran which in turn Iran used to sponsor terrorists who killed Americans?

[fortes fortuna juvat]

If Trump is guilty of anything it was in trusting people like Paul Ryan.
.............................................

Trusting people is the hallmark of a trustworthy person. Politicians, on the other hand, are most UNTRUSTWORTHY people on the planet. And therein lies President Trump’s problem, and consequently America’s problem.

[fortes fortuna juvat]

That wasn’t taxpayers’ money.
.........................

There’s money in our country that doesn’t belong to the taxpayers? I didn’t know that.

[plain talk]

“He’s NOT going to expect Congress, from here on out to deliver anything the American people need.”

That’s about the size of it. Trump did manage to get Congress to go from $0 to $1.3B. So Trump takes their money and gets the rest from alternative sources.

[Robert DeLong]

On the basis of the Constitution and traditional legislative prerogatives, Congress lays claim to exclusive control over the purse. Nevertheless, while it is up to Congress to appropriate funds, it is also true that the President and the executive branch enjoy considerable discretion as to how those funds are spent. Existing studies tell us how the President formulates the budget and how Congress acts on the budget requests he submits. Surprisingly, we know relatively little about how the money, once appropriated, is actually spent. A notable exception in this field is a work by Lucius Wilmerding, Jr., published three decades ago.

SOURCE

Yet another paper on the topic

Scholars disagree on the extent to which Congress may use appropriations limitations to control the President’s exercise of discretion in carrying out his or her duty to “execute the law,” especially in the area of national security—though all agree that Congress may not, under the guise of exercising its “power of the purse,” interfere with indispensable executive (or judicial) functions. Nor may the President frustrate congressional mandates by refusing to spend directed funds.

SOURCE

My point is, that it is not clear that your statement is necessarily correct. It remains quite unclear as to what powers the President has in directing funds, especially when national security is in question. We do know that Homeland security gives him power to erect walls to thwart drug smuggling for example.

[semimojo]

There’s money in our country that doesn’t belong to the taxpayers? I didn’t know that.

It was Iranian money they had given us in a pre-revolution arms deal. We never delivered the arms but kept the money.

It never belonged to the US but we had impounded it.

[SunkenCiv]

• What the mainstream media won't show you: The Border Wall IS Being Built...
• The Wall Will be Built, One Way or Another. Stop Whining.

[mrsmith]

Nice reply!

Yes, the devil is in the details... but the core concept is that the Legislature provides.

[johnthebaptistmoore]

Why not include all captured drug monies towards monitoring, improving, security, and any other related issues connected to ALL U.S. borders and ALL ports of entry? If there are any future problems connected to any of the U.S. borders and to any of the U.S. ports of entry, then they need to be dealt with, asap! Ditto, actual welfare reforms, too!

[MIA_eccl1212]

Not to put too fine a point on it but president trump could declare a national emergency because somebody put pepperoni on his pizza and he could reallocate existing funds in the the trillions just to move that pepperoni. That’s exactly what Obama did and previous presidents... so guess what! this is one of those executive orders that they can repeal all they want to afterwords... it won’t remove the already buiklt walls.