Slippery slope

9 January 2019 By Gina Chon Follow @GinaChon

The U.S. president may yet try to bypass Congress to build a border wall by declaring a national emergency. In theory, similar authority could enable him to close CNN or block Facebook. Such scenarios would be tested in court. But there’s leeway, and only lawmakers can reduce it.

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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Jan. 9 that he is still considering declaring a national emergency, a move that would allow him to order the construction of a wall along the southern border with Mexico. He told reporters that he has a right to declare an emergency if he can’t reach an agreement with Congress on money for the wall.

Democrats and some Republicans have refused to provide $5.7 billion to build the wall as part of a package of government funding measures, which has led to a partial shutdown of federal activities that started on Dec. 22. Trump did not mention the national emergency option when he made his case for a border wall in a televised national address on Jan. 8.

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