A lot of discussion about the “Wall”, the “National Emergency” and the Constitution will be had today with the House passing a joint resolution to end said emergency. There will be more false news and misdirection and outright lies stated today than the common man can stomach. This is unfortunate because a real “Constitutional Crisis” is what is really being resolved and the facts matter.

The current administration has something like $4 billion appropriated for the “Wall” construction. This is this years money and last years unspent money. Frankly, it is unlikely that even half of this money will be spent between now and the end of the fiscal year in September. This pot of cash will undoubtedly be added to in the budget appropriations for the new fiscal year beginning in October. We should all rest assured that the “Wall” is not being starved for cash or being prevented from being built, as trump related recently it is just not being built fast enough for him. Based on this thought the President declared a “National Emergency” and directed the Pentagon to release Congressionally appropriated funds and apply them to the “Wall”.

This act is what the vote in the House today is about. Our Constitution separates the powers granted to the Federal Government between three co-equal branches. Congress is given the power of the purse, the power to raise and appropriate monies. The Executive Branch is not given this power. Creating a national emergency to circumvent the constraints of the Constitution is an abuse of Executive power and the remedy given to Congress by law is to repeal the emergency order. This is what is being voted on today. Not “Wall” funding, not border security, none of that.

The vote today is about Congress retaking it’s fundamental right to appropriate funds. Honestly, if this Congress does not over ride trump on this, it might as well just appropriate one bill for $5 trillion and let the Executive branch divide it up as it sees fit. It will be a shame if the Republicans support party over the Constitution. We will all be poorer if they choose party.