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DENIED! Bi-Partisan Pushback Leads Trump to Cry, “Emergency”

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Trump said he’ll get money from multiple sources including tapping into the $3.6 billion earmarked for military construction, $600 million in asset forfeitures seized by the U.S. Treasury Department, $2.5 billion available through the Department of Defense’s drug interdiction program and the nearly $1.4 billion Congress approved earlier in the week for border barriers – an agreement that proved vital in avoiding another government shutdown.

Published

6 years ago

February 15, 2019

Oakland Post

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Hunger, affordable housing, unemployment, underfunded public schools and climate change are all national emergencies, but not a border wall, critics of President Donald Trump argued as the Commander-in-Chief declared a national emergency to fund his 2016 campaign promise of building a wall on America’s southern border.

“As someone who has visited our southern border several times, the only emergency is the crisis that was created by this administration’s cruel immigration policies that separate families and put innocent children in cages,” said California Democratic Rep. Nanette Barragan.

Congress should never have approved Trump’s budget that included funding that was still well-short of the estimated $6.5 billion border wall, said activist Shaun King.

“All he did was wait until Congress approved some then declared a national emergency the next day,” King said.

The president said declaring the national emergency and other measures will help free as much as $8 billion so he can fund construction for the wall, which would run some 234 miles.

Trump said he’ll get money from multiple sources including tapping into the $3.6 billion earmarked for military construction, $600 million in asset forfeitures seized by the U.S. Treasury Department, $2.5 billion available through the Department of Defense’s drug interdiction program and the nearly $1.4 billion Congress approved earlier in the week for border barriers – an agreement that proved vital in avoiding another government shutdown.

“Sadly, we’ll be sued and sadly it will go through a process and happily we’ll win, I think,” Trump said as he announced the “emergency.”

In a joint statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called it an “unlawful declaration over a crisis that does not exist” and said it “does great violence to our Constitution and makes America less safe, stealing from urgently needed defense funds for the security of our military and our nation.”

“The President’s actions clearly violate the Congress’s exclusive power of the purse, which our Founders enshrined in the Constitution,” they said.

“The Congress will defend our constitutional authorities in the Congress, in the Courts, and in the public, using every remedy available.”

Even Republicans publicly expressed their opposition to Trump’s decision.

“I’m disappointed with both the massive, bloated, secretive bill that just passed and with the president’s intention to declare an emergency to build a wall,” Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky tweeted.

“I too want stronger border security, including a wall in some areas but how we do things matters. Extra-constitutional executive actions are wrong, no matter which party does them,” Paul said.

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said, “I generally don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins called Trump’s decision a mistake. “It’s just not good policy,” she said.

Jaime Contreras, a vice president at 32BJ SEIU which represents 700 federally contracted janitors and security officers who were affected by the shutdown, said in a statement that Trump’s declaration of a state of emergency is “a dangerous and unprecedented political maneuver that seems from every angle to violate the separation of powers at the core of our Constitution.”

“At a time when unauthorized border crossing are at an historic low, the real emergency remains that immigrants are being castigated to deflect the pain caused by Trump administration’s assaults on healthcare, labor rights, an equitable tax system, and the continuing promise of the American Dream for working and middle-class families,” Contreras said.

The declaration by Trump also deflects attention from the ongoing crisis created by the historically unprecedented government shutdown, he said.

“For five weeks, workers were robbed of their paychecks, and then the President broke his promise of back pay to all government workers as thousands of contract workers aren’t slated to receive a dime, including hundreds of janitors and security officers who are members of 32BJ SEIU,” Contreras said.

Perhaps echoing the sentiments of many in both parties and Americans in general, former Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum said the United States currently has one sizeable problem.

“Donald Trump is our national emergency,” Gillum said.

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LIVE! — TOWN HALL ON RACISM AND ITS IMPACT — THURS. 11.14.24 5PM PST

Join us for a LIVE Virtual Town Hall on the Impact of Racism hosted by Post News Group Journalist Carla Thomas and featuring Oakland, CA NAACP President Cynthia Adams & other Special Guests.
Thursday, November 14, 2024, 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. PST

Published

5 days ago

November 12, 2024

Oakland Post

Discussion Topics:
• Since the pandemic, what battles have the NAACP fought nationally, and how have they impacted us locally?
• What trends are you seeing concerning Racism? Is it more covert or overt?
• What are the top 5 issues resulting from racism in our communities?
• How do racial and other types of discrimination impact local communities?
• What are the most effective ways our community can combat racism and hate?

Your questions and comments will be shared LIVE with the moderators and viewers during the broadcast.

STREAMED LIVE!
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YOUTUBE: youtube.com/blackpressusatv
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Oakland Post: Week of November 6 – 12, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 6 – 12, 2024

Published

1 week ago

November 9, 2024

Oakland Post

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OP-ED: The Illusion of Allyship. White Women, Your Yard Signs Mean Nothing to Me

NNPA NEWSWIRE – “The blue bracelets are something White women are wearing so others can see that they didn’t vote for Trump,” says Liberal Lisa from Oklahoma on X. Chile, bye. These bracelets are hollow symbols, empty gestures that mean nothing to me. An accessory to claim distance from Trump’s legacy is superficial comfort, while the choice to not stand with us in the voting booth is far more profound.

Published

1 week ago

November 9, 2024

Oakland Post

Political yard signs can symbolize intentions and allegiance. But this year, they’ve also symbolized betrayal. During this general election, Black women were led to believe that more White women would stand with us. Exit polls, however, told a different story. Despite overwhelming displays of support, more White women still chose to vote for the convicted felon, reality TV star, and rapist. White women answered the call but left us hanging at the polls.

A Familiar Disappointment

I live in DeKalb County, Georgia, and the abundance of Harris-Walz yard signs could’ve fooled me. But I’ve seen this before, back when Stacey Abrams ran for governor. White women showed up, put up signs, attended rallies, knocked on doors, and phone-banked. Yet, when it came time to vote, they let us down—not once but twice. I’ve been here for over 15 years, and if there’s one thing I know, it’s that political signs are symbols without weight.

In every election, I’ve talked with White women. Most aren’t the primary earners in their families and vote along party lines, aligning with the preferences of their fathers and husbands. These conversations reveal a reluctance to break from tradition, even when their votes affect women and certainly when their votes impact the lives of people who look like me.

The Illusion of Solidarity—Symbols Are Not Enough

On social media, I’m seeing White women posting pictures of blue bracelets to “prove” they didn’t vote for Trump. “The blue bracelets are something White women are wearing so others can see that they didn’t vote for Trump,” says Liberal Lisa from Oklahoma on X. Chile, bye. These bracelets are hollow symbols, empty gestures that mean nothing to me. An accessory to claim distance from Trump’s legacy is superficial comfort, while the choice to not stand with us in the voting booth is far more profound.

I’ve seen Black Lives Matter signs and black squares posted on Instagram to “prove” support for Black people, but we now know that was a lie, too. Will those same people who claimed Black lives mattered now take down their Harris-Walz signs and show their true selves?

Navigating these truths is a daily struggle for me—professionally and socially. White women often misuse their privilege, supporting us only when it’s convenient. Seeing overqualified Black women sabotaged or abandoned by White women at critical moments is a constant emotional challenge. It’s exhausting to live with this reality, especially when solidarity seems like something they pick up and discard at will.

One clever campaign ad from Harris-Walz that spoke directly to White women. “Your Vote, Your Choice” emphasized that their vote was private—independent of their household situation. Another was from Olivia Howell Dreizen, the “Vote Without Fear” campaign, which empowered women to consider the greater impact of their choices. But it seems many still couldn’t choose the roadmap to freedom—even when it was handed to them.

A Call for Action Beyond Words

White women, I want to believe you care, but actions speak louder than yard signs, bracelets, or Instagram posts. Show up in our communities, advocate in your workplaces, and stand up to dismantle the structures that uphold white supremacy. Only through real action will we know where you stand.

If you choose not to act, we see you—and we know exactly where you stand. Good luck these next four years.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BlackPressUSA.com or the National Newspaper Publishers Association.