美国国家公共电台 NPR Emergency Declaration For Border Wall Could Tap Military Funds

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

We now know the next sentence of the story of President Trump¹'s drive for a border wall. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said yesterday the president will sign a border security measure that does not include funding for the wall that the president demanded. Then McConnell said this.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MITCH MCCONNELL: He will also be issuing a national emergency declaration at the same time. And I've indicated to him that I'm going to support the national emergency declaration.

INSKEEP: Now let's write out some more of the story. NPR national security correspondent David Welna joins us.

Hi there, David.

DAVID WELNA, BYLINE²: Good morning, Steve.

INSKEEP: How does the president claim power to spend money that Congress just now refused to give him?

WELNA: Well, you know, a national emergency power is something that's been exercised by American presidents ever since George Washington in August of 1794. He mobilized a militia³ against what was expected to be a rebellion against whiskey taxes. I should note that there's nothing stopping any president from doing that because Congress has, actually, never defined what constitutes a national emergency. So Trump is able to activate⁴ any number of more than 400 laws that Congress has passed over the years to allow a fast response to an emergency. President Bush, for example, declared a national emergency after the 9/11 attacks. And Trump will have to notify Congress exactly which of these emergency statutes⁶ he plans to use to get the money that Congress would not give him in the bill that he's expected to sign.

INSKEEP: Although, as you have noted⁷, it's unusual - to say the least - that a president would use an emergency statute⁵ to, basically, do an appropriation⁸ of money that Congress has just refused. So what pots of money will the president draw on if he goes forward this way?

WELNA: Well, it's most certainly not pots of money coming from Mexico to pay for a wall, despite all the president's earlier promises. These pots of money are all funding that Congress has already approved for other purposes. And mostly, they seem to be associated with the Department of Defense⁹, which gets about two-thirds of the money that Congress approves each year. We don't have specifics yet from the White House. But it appears that Trump is going to try to raid other accounts to add more than $6 billion to the $1.375 billion that Congress has approved for a border barrier for a total of $8 billion. That's a lot more than the $5.7 billion he'd been seeking.

And most of that money - $3.5 billion - is expected to come from the Pentagon's military construction budget. And that's likely to anger a lot of defense hawks¹⁰ on both sides of the aisle¹¹ because that money was all meant to be spent improving military bases. There's also about $2.5 billion in the Defense Department's drug interdiction¹² program that Trump is expected to tap, as well as another $600 million from Treasury's drug forfeiture¹³ fund.

INSKEEP: OK. So we've been hearing this morning that a lot of lawmakers - mostly Democrats¹⁴ but some Republicans - are really unhappy about this. The question comes as to whether Congress would really push back. I know that the House has talked of suing. The House could vote to stop this state of emergency. But would the Senate, controlled by Republicans, ever vote on such a thing?

WELNA: Well, under that 1976 National Emergencies Act, Congress can pass a joint¹⁵ resolution that would effectively nullify a national emergency decree. And members of the House - Democrats in the House say they are planning to do exactly that. And that's something that if the House passes it, the Senate has to vote on it. So Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, would have to hold a vote. And there are already several Republicans who have expressed displeasure with a national emergency decree. If they joined Democrats, that could pass in the Senate as well. Then it would have to go to President Trump for his signature. And that may be when he exercises his veto power for the first time.

INSKEEP: Wow.

WELNA: Two-thirds majorities would be needed to override¹⁶ that, which is not probable.

INSKEEP: NPR's David Welna, thanks so much.

WELNA: You're welcome.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

4 activate   

vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用

参考例句：

• We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。
• These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。

5 statute   

n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例

参考例句：

• Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute.保障消费者利益已在法令里作了规定。
• The next section will consider this environmental statute in detail.下一部分将详细论述环境法令的问题。

6 statutes   

成文法( statute的名词复数 )； 法令； 法规； 章程

参考例句：

• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Each agency is also restricted by the particular statutes governing its activities. 各个机构的行为也受具体法令限制。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 appropriation   

n.拨款，批准支出

参考例句：

• Our government made an appropriation for the project.我们的政府为那个工程拨出一笔款项。
• The council could note an annual appropriation for this service.议会可以为这项服务表决给他一笔常年经费。

9 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

10 hawks   

鹰( hawk的名词复数 )； 鹰派人物，主战派人物

参考例句：

• Two hawks were hover ing overhead. 两只鹰在头顶盘旋。
• Both hawks and doves have expanded their conditions for ending the war. 鹰派和鸽派都充分阐明了各自的停战条件。

11 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

12 interdiction   

n.禁止；封锁

参考例句：

• the Customs Service's drug interdiction programs 海关的毒品查禁方案
• In addition to patrol duty, blastboats are dispatched for planetary defense and interdiction missions. 除了例行巡逻，炮艇还被赋予行星防御和封锁的任务。

13 forfeiture   

n.（名誉等）丧失

参考例句：

• Both face maximum forfeitures of about $1.2 million.双方都面临最高120万美元左右的罚金。
• If he should break his day,what should I gain by the exaction of the forfeiture?如果他到期不还我从这罚金中又能得到什么好处？

14 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

16 override   

vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于

参考例句：

• The welfare of a child should always override the wishes of its parents.孩子的幸福安康应该永远比父母的愿望来得更重要。
• I'm applying in advance for the authority to override him.我提前申请当局对他进行否决。