[rtt-abq] Fw: Udall, Heinrich, Senate Democrats Introduce Bill to Prevent President From Using Emergency Declaration to Raid Funds for Border Wall
- From: "Cheryl Passalaqua" <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> (Redacted sender "nmcheryl" for DMARC)
- To: "rtt-abq@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <rtt-abq@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 5 Feb 2019 21:49:33 +0000 (UTC)
Greg Bloom from Sen. Udall's office told us about this today. Here's more
info. Thanks to Karen for forwarding this!
===================================
From: "Woldman, Bill (Tom Udall)" <Bill_Woldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Udall, Heinrich, Senate Democrats Introduce Bill to Prevent President
From Using Emergency Declaration to Raid Funds for Border Wall
Date: 5 February 2019 at 12:56:30 PM MST
Udall, Heinrich, Senate Democrats Introduce Bill to Prevent President From
Using Emergency Declaration to Raid Funds for Border Wall RAIDER Act of 2019
stops President Trump from bypassing Congress and raiding as much as $35
billion from military construction and disaster response funds for land
acquisition or construction of his wall WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Tom
Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), along with U.S. Senators Kamala
Harris (D-Calif.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ed
Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Dianne
Feinstein (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Mazie
Hirono (D-Hawaii), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Jack
Reed (D-R.I.) introduced the Restrictions Against Illegitimate Declarations for
Emergency Re-appropriations (RAIDER) Act of 2019. The legislation prevents the
president from utilizing the National Emergencies Act of 1976 to raid critical
military construction and disaster response funds to construct his wall along
the southern border. The full text of the bill is available HERE. A summary of
the legislation is available HERE. Before, during, and after the Trump
shutdown, President Trump has repeatedly threatened to declare a national
emergency to bypass Congress and finance construction of his border wall, and
recent press reports indicate a declaration is being drafted in the White
House. Under the National Emergencies Act, the funds most at risk of being
misdirected to build the president’s wall are U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE) civil works funds and Military Construction (Milcon) funding. President
Trump is threatening to take funds from critical disaster recovery, flood
protection, and military base construction projects in states across the
country. This legislation would bar the transfer of any funding from U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers or Military Construction accounts for construction, land
acquisition or other activities related to President Trump’s border wall
following any potential emergency declaration, unless Congress granted specific
authority to do so. While the administration has not released precise figures,
some estimates indicate there could be as much as $35 billion in
congressionally appropriated but yet unobligated funding for DOD military
construction projects and Army Corps disaster funds at risk from an emergency
declaration move. “After the Trump shutdown, it’s clear that President Trump
will stop at nothing to try to build a wasteful, ineffective, and offensive
wall that New Mexicans and the American people reject,” said Udall. “While
declaring a national emergency to raid funds to build the wall would almost
certainly be challenged in court, Congress should not wait for the courts to
act. We must stand up and assert our role as a co-equal branch of government,
and we must prevent the president from going around Congress to raid critical
funds – funds we have appropriated for disaster recovery, flood protection, and
military base construction projects – for a politically-motivated, unjustified
national emergency declaration that isn’t based in reality.” “We cannot allow
President Trump to raid taxpayer dollars to pay for a wall that New Mexicans
don’t want or need,” said Heinrich. “With this legislation, we can prevent
funds designated for critical military construction and disaster response from
being raided for a wasteful border wall under the false pretense of a national
emergency.” “The president simply cannot go around Congress to fund his
ridiculous vanity project. I’m proud to introduce this bill today to stand up
to the president as he considers abusing his power by stealing money from
critical projects in California to finance the construction of a wall that
Congress won’t fund and people on the border don’t even want,” said Harris.
“This bill will stand up for Congress’ power of the purse and maintain
important Army Corps of Engineers projects that will protect our communities
from natural disasters.” “President Trump shouldn’t be raiding essential
funding from Americans recovering from natural disasters, or from our critical
military infrastructure to pay for his vanity project,” said Cortez Masto.
“Senate Democrats have already voted for bipartisan legislation that
prioritizes effective border security. This, and any future President,
shouldn’t be using politics to manufacture a crisis and take funds from
critical programs that serve Americans.” “The Constitution gives Congress, not
the president, the power of the purse,” said Feinstein. “Congress dedicated
funds for important water infrastructure and military construction projects and
to prepare for the next major natural disaster. That’s how those funds should
be spent. They certainly shouldn’t be diverted by President Trump for his
wasteful, unworkable border wall.” “As the President continues to spout lies
about our challenges at the southern border as an excuse to build a wasteful
wall and considering declaring a non-existent national emergency, Congress must
protect vital projects in our nation’s defense,” said Menendez. “And there’s no
way I’m going to let Trump to raid funds for New Jersey military installations,
flood protection and major military construction projects – including the Joint
Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst and Picatinny Arsenal – to pay for it. A recent
Monmouth University poll found that 64 percent of Americans oppose the
president using an emergency declaration to build the wall, including 66
percent of independents, while only 34 percent support it. A recent CBS News
poll found that “66 percent of Americans overall say President Trump should not
declare a national emergency if Congress does not fund a border wall.” The full
text of the bill is available HERE. A summary of the legislation is available
HERE. Bill Woldman, Field RepresentativeOffice of U.S. Senator Tom Udall400
Gold Avenue SW-Suite 300Albuquerque, New Mexico
87102505-346-6791bill_woldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Connect with Tom at
tomudall.senate.gov
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