Posted on 02/26/2019 4:17:11 PM PST by Sub-Driver
After skipping nearly 1,100 mandated emergency reviews, Congress decides to do its job
By Philip Bump February 26 at 4:45 PM
The text of the National Emergencies Act is clear.
“Not later than six months after a national emergency is declared,” it reads, “and not later than the end of each six-month period thereafter that such emergency continues, each House of Congress shall meet to consider a vote on a concurrent resolution to determine whether that emergency shall be terminated.”
In other words, once then-President Jimmy Carter signed Executive Order 12170 in November 1979, invoking provisions of the law, both the House and the Senate should have considered the following May whether to terminate his action. Then they should have done the same in November 1980. And in May 1981. And in November 1981. And in every May and November since then, given that the emergency is still in effect.
But it hasn’t considered a resolution on Carter’s first emergency even once.
As more and more national emergencies have accrued, Congress has more and more often been supposed to review active emergency declarations. As recently as last November, Congress was supposed to have considered joint resolutions on no fewer than eight national emergency declarations, including that first one from Carter. In December, four more declarations were due for review.
That’s two months of the year.
By our count, using data from the Brennan Center for Justice, for the duration of every national emergency that has ever been declared, Congress is supposed to have conducted 1,094 reviews of those declarations.
How often has it done so? Well, we know that Tuesday the House and Senate considered a resolution that would terminate President Trump’s wall emergency — which, as the chart above shows, is the 32nd emergency currently active.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
laws never apply to Democrats.....
Laws never apply to our elected reps until it is possible to use to as re-election device -
Republicans didn’t do it either.
They are SO full of crap!
GOP sleeping cowards, Dems courage with nearly complete lawlessness.
Why even post this crap here. The WP should be banned.
This is a good piece...Congress failing to do its mandated duty 1,100 times and suddenly does it when Trump is president. I found this worthwhile.
This is all about Trump not about terminating an emergency. Its not like he’s gone beyond bounds with them.
Cuck fake news and the Democrats sudden concern over Trump’s action.
Perfectly constitutional.
They do if it’s convenient.
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