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Georgia Fisanick's avatar

UPDATE: As part of a procedural vote yesterday, Mike Johnson incorporated a clause that was the first time, to my knowledge, where Republicans in the House actively ceded a power granted to them by law to Trump. You can read about my take here:

https://substack.com/@georgiafisanick/note/c-99860255

The NY Times article has a good description of the maneuver but it was not up for long on the main Times webpage (gifted):

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/11/us/politics/trump-tariffs-house-gop-vote.html?unlocked_article_code=1.3U4.WPIz.jIIJyBzMaxMQ&smid=url-share

Rachel Maddow covered this last night

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKDPrsMaZU8&t=200s

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Carl Selfe's avatar

We cannot give the emergency powers to Trump. No shape, form, or fashion. That is what President Paul Hindenburg gave to Hitler in 1933. That was the death knell of democracy in Germany. Fascism resulted. The CR must be shot down for that reason alone. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/dictatorship-is-choreographed?r=3m1bs

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Georgia Fisanick's avatar

He already invoked them on his first day in office with the Proclamation of an National Emergency under the Nationa Emergencies Act authorizing military actions at the Southern Border. Then it looks like he expanded it to tariffs and selling off buildings under the same emergency proclamation. My next long form post will be on where we are with this stuff.

We can’t shoot down the CR,, but it can be amended to try to limit the damage. A debt ceiling breach means government bond holders don’t get paid interest, the US credit ratings go in the toilet and functionally interest rates go back up because bond prices tank. That debt ceiling spreadsheet that count downs the extraordinary measures that remain to be used is supposed to be updated each week day but has not since March 5.

You can find it here http://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/DSL-Public-v03-07-2025.pdf

The big question I am trying to figure out is if there are any budget constraits other than the debt ceiling on what he can do under the emergency powers.

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Carl Selfe's avatar

Having access to emergency powers granted in previous legislation is one thing. Giving new emergency powers is of what I spoke. Do you advocate giving a known crook new emergency powers, Georgia? I would not think so, but I don’t know.

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Georgia Fisanick's avatar

No. Of course not. we seem to be misunderstanding each other. By invoking The National Emergencies Act Trump gave himself extra powers. Now The Republicans in the house have taken away their power to terminate the emergency—but the vote in both houses would have to be veto proof. Other laws give him the right to sequester funds under certain conditions. And it is illegal to impound funds (not follow congressional appropriations) but he is doing it anyway. The remedy there would be impeachment

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Digispeaker's avatar

Your analysis is excellent. No hyperbole - just facts. Thank you.

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