President Trump’s emergency declaration Friday is not only lawful and constitutional – it is painfully necessary.
Congress passed the National Emergencies Act, giving the President vast powers in the event of a national emergency, in 1976.
Since then, Democratic Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama – along with Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Trump – have declared 58 national emergencies prior to the new declaration Friday, according to the Federal Register. A total of 31 of these emergencies are still in effect today.
Even the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith D-Wash., at one point admitted that “unfortunately, the short answer is yes” when asked whether the president has the power to declare a national emergency.
President Trump’s emergency declaration Friday is not only lawful and constitutional – it is painfully necessary.
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