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Posted on 03/12/2019 4:15:07 PM PDT by jazusamo
More than a dozen Republican senators introduced legislation on Tuesday that would make it easier for Congress to terminate future national emergency declarations, days before the chamber will vote on President Trump's.
The legislation, spearheaded by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), would require that Congress pass a resolution extending an emergency declaration after 30 days for it to continue, otherwise it would be terminated.
“If Congress is troubled by recent emergency declarations made pursuant to the National Emergencies Act, they only have themselves to blame. Congress gave these legislative powers away in 1976 and it is far past time that we as an institution took them back. If we don’t want our president acting like a king we need to start taking back the legislative powers that allow him to do so," Lee said in a statement. In addition to Lee, GOP Sens. Chuck Grassley (Iowa), Thom Tillis (N.C.), Joni Ernst (Iowa), Pat Toomey (Pa.), Ron Johnson (Wis.), Jerry Moran (Kansas), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Ben Sasse (Neb.), Roy Blunt (Mo.), Rob Portman (Ohio), Todd Young (Ind.), Mitt Romney (Utah), Ted Cruz (Texas) and Roger Wicker (Miss.) are supporting the legislation.
The legislation—known as the Assuring that Robust, Thorough, and Informed Congressional Leadership is Exercised Over National Emergencies, or ARTICLE ONE, Act—would be a significant change to the mechanism Congress has to block a national emergency declaration.
Currently, Congress has to pass a resolution of disapproval to block Trump's emergency declaration on constructing the U.S.-Mexico border wall. Trump is expected to veto the resolution and neither chambers are expected to be able to override that veto.
Trump's emergency declaration has sparked a widespread discussion among Senate Republicans about if they should change the National Emergencies Act. Though Republicans largely support Trump on border security they are concerned that a future Democratic president will use his precedent to force through issues like climate change or gun control.
Lee's legislation would not impact Trump's current emergency declaration on the wall but, if passed, would impact any future emergency declarations.
Senators are discussing changes to the emergency powers law with the White House but it's unclear if Trump would support reining in his own executive authority, and he's consistently bristled at attempts by Congress to force his hand on legislation.
Blunt, a member of GOP leadership, said that Trump had raised concerns about executive overreach by previous presidents and that supporting Lee's legislation would give him a chance to get back in line with his campaign rhetoric.
"Well the president had problems with a candidate with the Obama overreach, so he's been on record for some time on this topic," he said. "I think this will give him a chance to get back to where he was three years ago."
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters on Tuesday that Republican senators were looking at amending the law.
"We're looking at some ways to revisit the law. There's a lot of discomfort with the law. …Was it too broad back in the 70s when it was passed? So yeah, we're discussing altering that," McConnell told reporters during a weekly press conference.
Asked if he would support Lee's legislation, McConnell added that he "may well."
All the asswipes need to swing from a tree, whatever party!!!
Never underestimate an Anti-Trumper’s capacity for treatery and self-defeating stupidity (Paul Ryan as archetype).
I see my R senator Toomey was one of these traitors !!
I think i can say, i’m no longer republican
FKG Mormons!
What a bunch of losers.
McConnell has already ascertained the House won’t have the votes to override a certain veto. So what’s the point?
Funny how these assholes are not concerned about the other THIRTY emergency declarations still in effect - or DACA for that matter. All these bastards need to be primaried - especially the Mormon retards.
"Lee's legislation would not impact Trump's current emergency declaration on the wall but, if passed, would impact any future emergency declarations."
Lee and the others know Republicans won't always control the Executive. Pelosi's already threatened emergency action on gun control, and other Dems see an emergency declaration as a great way to enforce whatever nutty schemes they may have regarding global warming nonsense. I see this as forward-thinking legislation.
As I posted earlier, both the Republican and Democrat Parties have, for different reasons, have sold out to the muslims.
I h8 these people. I really do..
I mean REALLY
Texas needs a real conservative to kick Cruz out.
And to think I was once enamored with the guy.
I sure can read, can you think?
The Senate is on track to force a veto and likely will force it.
Now two days before that vote they’re bringing up this crap, why?
Why don’t they support our POTUS by voting down the block on the resolution and then take this up?
Good thing we have guns - cause we’re going to need them, soon - real soon.
Yup
RINOs.
Doing what dimbulbcrats cannot do without their help.
We will have a very special guillotine for them following la revolution.
Ockham’s Razor says it is jut Republicans being typical gutless Cucks.
None of the people he campaigned for.
Our nation ensures chaos, by allowing no executive decision making even for national emergency. GOP are dummies
I hope Trump destroys the GOP. Other than Trump, the party is dead to me.
Or…
If they were intellectually honest about this, they'd change the underlying law that allows redistribution of funds, or the law that authorizes emergency declarations.
But nooooooo…
They want to keep THOSE laws and just change the ability to rebuke a President for exercising them.
I can see a SCOTUS challenge that says that a law to override a declaration of emergency is unnecessary since Congress delegated the authority in the first place and has the power to decide the limits of that declaration at the outset.
They can't delegate the authority and then put backsies on it, otherwise it's not really a delegation. That would cripple a President who is trying to react to an emergency, if Congress is back-seat driving the President every step of the way.
The proper channel is to restrict the original delegation or revoke it entirely and force Congress to exercise the power themselves.
-PJ
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