There’s truly nothing worse than a poorly executed remake of a once-popular film. It can be done with eloquence and tact, as we’ve seen in Christopher Nolan’s series of Batman films, or it can turn to absolute feces a ‘la Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Believe me when I tell you that I am in full support of remakes because they give society another chance at enjoying something they loved once more, if done correctly.
In the case of the government shutdown that ended two weeks ago, this is a remake that no one feels should be redone ever again.
Nevertheless, President Donald Trump promised that if Congress cannot come to an agreement and pass seven different spending bills by the end of this week, the government could go right back into a partial government shutdown. Rather than fear the shutdown, we must embrace the possibility and fully recognize why it is such a distinct possibility.
President Trump has demonstrated, on several occasions, his unwavering determination to secure funding to construct a wall along the US-Mexico border. He has said, time and time again, that our Southern border is more dangerous than an IHOP on a Sunday, and yet, his words have fallen on the deaf ears of the Democratic leadership.
For those of you just tuning in, Democrats and Republicans are split on how to handle immigrants attempting to unlawfully enter the United States. The Dems agree that we should protect American citizens from harmful individuals, but from a systemic standpoint, we need to create an easier path to citizenship for those who wish to come to America for a better quality of life.
Republicans, many of which share the sentiment of President Trump, want to strengthen our borders, by any means necessary. According to several sources, the latest disagreement erupting in Congress stems from how to best operate ICE detainment centers.
Democrats insist that we cap the number of detention beds used for interior enforcement to curb ICE’s capacity to capture and detain undocumented immigrants, and Republicans are concerned with this logic.
“There are currently 40, 520 ICE immigration detention beds funded by Congress. Heading into the talks, the White House sought to increase the number to 52,000, while Democrats wanted a reduction to 35,520. Democrats have proposed a 16,500 cap on beds to be used for interior enforcement, with the rest to be used for those captured at the border…”
-Erik Wasson & Jennifer Jacobs, Bloomberg
While the Democrats advocating on behalf of immigrants simply trying to enter the U.S. to escape poverty and harmful living conditions is incredible, we are missing the point here. No matter the side of the aisle you find yourself on, President Trump will act in his best interest.
When he was running for president back in 2016, he promised his supporters that, if elected, he would build the wall we’ve all come to know and discuss. He’s shutdown the federal government once already, and if Congress fails to acquiesce to his demands, there’s not much stopping him from doing so once more.
President Trump, undoubtedly feeling pressure from the 116th Congress, with its Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, told reporters at the White House earlier this month, that “we’re looking at a national emergency because we have a national emergency — just read the papers.”
Sources have pointed out that the Department of Defense has indicated that, if the President does, in fact, institute a national state of emergency, they will invoke the use Title 10 U.S. code to allow the military to construct the border wall. The code referenced by the DOD states:
“In the event of a declaration of war or the declaration by the President of a national emergency in accordance with the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) that requires use of the armed forces, the Secretary of Defense … may undertake military construction projects, and may authorize the Secretaries of the military departments to undertake military construction projects, not otherwise authorized by law that are necessary to support such use of the armed forces.”
-50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.
