Inside D.C.

Just another week at the office…

I’m now completely convinced President Trump thrives on chaos.  I’m also convinced the “art” of being Donald Trump is the art of the spin.

In one week, the president threatened a second government shutdown after taking full “credit” for a record 35-day government closure, relented and signed the FY2019 spending package, used his executive powers to declare a national emergency at the southern border, admitting “I didn’t have to do this,” eliciting the expected federal suit brought by 16 attorneys general, led by California, challenging his action, allowing he’ll lose the suit until it reaches the Supreme Court of the U.S., talked up the likely success of the U.S.-China tariff talks, accepted the withdrawal of his latest UN ambassador nominee over the alleged hiring of yet another undocumented nanny, and electronically thumped – “he’s deranged” – a fired FBI official with an insider book to sell.  Oh, and he ended the week tweeting about retribution against NBC and “Saturday Night Live” for another getting-older-by-the-minute Alec Baldwin impersonation and parody.

Just another week at the office for this nation’s chief executive.

Of all this sturm und drang, the most notable is the avoidance of a second government shutdown and the funding of the federal government through the end of the fiscal year. This allows government services to proceed, things like IRS tax return and refund, USDA implementation of the Farm Bill, department loan programs and agency hand-holding as the spring planting season approaches.  While Trump initially declared he was “not happy” with the deal hammered out by congressional lawmakers – he had staff combing the 1,169-page spending package for “landmines” – he signed the bill.

Interestingly, the president’s decision to sign the bill and then use his executive powers to immediately declare the immigration emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border was announced on the Senate floor by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R, KY), one of the staunchest critics of government shutdowns, but Trump’s biggest gun on Capitol Hill.

However, the compromise spending package gives Trump only about $1.35 billion in Homeland Security funding for a border barrier, not the $5.7 billion he sought, hence the “emergency” declaration.  However, the money is no longer restricted to “border security” measures as in previous versions but is pegged to a physical barrier to be built on about 55 miles of the border.

Republicans call it “wall” funding; Democrats talk about “fencing.”  McConnell talked about “new border barriers” when reading out the deal on the Senate floor, and Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D, NY) said the bill funds “smart border security initiatives” both parties have long supported. 

For his part, the president said the emergency declaration provides him “a lot of options” to come up with the rest of the cash he says is needed to build the rest of his “wall.”  It’s expected nearly $8 billion could be amassed using appropriated monies, along with cash from the Treasury and about $6.5 billion redirected from the Pentagon construction account. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D, CA) and Schumer call the emergency declaration and Trump’s plan a “gross abuse of the power of the presidency” and “a lawless act” that seeks to end-run Congress.  Pelosi said she and Schumer are “reviewing our options.”  The House could approve a “resolution of termination” or disapproval, a rarely used ploy, but one that if approved by the House would require the Senate to vote on it.  This would set up an ugly floor fight in the Senate and depending on a growing number of GOP Senators publicly unhappy with Trump’s action, it would be a fight the president could very well lose, warns McConnell.  The president could veto any approved resolution, so it would have to pass with two-thirds majorities in both chambers to override the president.

Sheesh, but as said, just another week at the office.