(02-15-2019, 08:14 AM)The Real Marty Wrote: I think Pelosi is making a valid point.   If you think the President has the right to do this, then the next President can do the same thing.   Take money that congress has appropriated for one thing, and spend it on something else entirely.  

It's a major erosion of the constitutional separation of powers, and makes the President more like a king.   "Just appropriate the money, and I'll decide how to spend it."  

So President Elizabeth Warren takes money from the Pentagon budget and spends it on housing for the homeless.  

I think it's time for the spineless Republicans in congress to take a hard look at themselves and decide if they want to give the Presidency this kind of power.

You’re ignoring the fact that this won’t serve as any precedent because it has been done multiple times before by both Dem and Rep presidents. There are still several active to this day. This money is also money that is extra with no appropriated mandate. 

As far as erroding constitutional separation that is bogus. The POTUS has a constitutional responsibility to secure the borders and have a working immigration system. This is perfectly within his right. Whether Dems want to believe it or not, that constitutional responsibility is to the American people, not those of another country. The American people should be pissed that we are about to provide legal amnesty to illegal immigrants (economic migrants is the new term) while providing them food, money, and transportation. Crazy how there is this social apocalypse over tax returns but the government is about to dedicate billions every fiscal year to provide stability to members of another country over their very own and we get to pay for it!

---