Breitbart:
President Trump can build a border wall using the United States military to stop mass illegal immigration and drug trafficking without funding approval from Congress and without having to declare a national emergency.
During a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy John Rood confirmed to Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) that Trump does not need Congress or a national emergency declaration to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The exchange went as follows:
BROOKS: I want to direct your attention to 10 United States Code § 284 which authorizes President Trump to deploy the United States military to the southern border to build fences and to do a lot of other things, and for clarity, if you look it up in the dictionary the word fence includes the word barrier and the word barrier includes walls made of a wide variety of different materials.
So that having been said, it seems to me that 10 U.S. Code § 284 can be used by the President of the United States to direct the United States military to build a wall. Now as of today, you’ve mentioned military forces along the southern border, have any of them been deployed pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 284?
ROOD: Congressman, I don’t believe any of our forces have been deployed pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 284. You are correct, however, that that use of authority would authorize the secretary of defense to erect barriers, roads, fencing, those types of materials to disrupt drug smuggling.
BROOKS: Does 10 U.S.C. § 284 as you understand it, require the declaration of a national emergency before it is implemented?
ROOD: No.
BROOKS: It does not?
ROOD: No.
BROOKS: Has President Trump, to your knowledge, ever used 10 U.S.C § 284 to direct the military to build the wall that is necessary for border security?
ROOD: No, not to my knowledge, Congressman.
BROOKS: If President Trump were to direct the Pentagon and the United States military pursuant to 10 U.S.C § 284 to build such barriers as are necessary to secure our southern border from drug trafficking and international crime cartels would the United States military obey that order?
ROOD: If we judge it to be a lawful order, yes sir. And I assume it would be.
Why can’t he make the whole thing a National Monument?
It should be as safe to walk the wall as it is the Adirondack Trail.
I think he should have the SEABEE’s build it and declare MARTIAL LAW…suspend congress and arrest commies Pelosi and Schumer and others for treason! As well as all the state and local assholes who want to be declared “sanctuary” state/cities .
THE WALL WILL BE LONG ENOUGH TO ENGRAVE THE NAMES OF THE THOUSANDS OF GOOD AMERICAN CITIZENS KILLED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS!!! MAKE IT SO!!!
This was announced sometime ago. Which is why I believe Trump has decided to wage this war to destroy Democrat Leadership. And I think it’s working. Which is also why him opening the Government for three weeks was such a brilliant move and why my jaw was hanging open watch everyone turn on him. I can’t name a battle he’s lost yet. Sooner or later you got to give the man a little trust.
Did anyone hear about the increase in manufacturing jobs today? Well you wouldn’t if you didn’t listen to Chuck Payne. Phenomenal. That damn magic wand is bad ass.
Did anyone hear about Fienstien and Harris trying to reach a deal and replace 9th Circuit Justice appointees. Trump slam dunked that bull shit today too. I think Trumps out of bubble gum.
Trump could order the wall to be built while making the SOTU address to the nation. Making an official order to those authorized to carry out the order would prove he intended to keep his promise to Americans who elected him. If the order were not carried out, that would prove that there are traitors in this country. Perhaps that is why Pelosi/Schumer/Deep State are trying to keep Trump shut up, hog-tied, off twitter, and probably drugged. If all that doesn’t work, they could do the worst. That is likely why gun control is being so fast-tracked in Congress and State legislatures by Democrats. They don’t just want illegals for voters, they want armed and willing illegals to do their bidding.The harder the Decommunists try, the firmer resistance becomes from angry Americans.
@Bad_Brad:
Yes! This.
It is depressingly common for Trump’s actions to be taken in isolation and not as phases of a process. I’m not claiming that he has every step planned in advance, but he does a phenomenal job of achieving goals after what might be lightly called ups and downs. It’s the overall trend line that takes you to your goal, and the relative maxima and minima along the way are more distractions than anything else.
GET ‘ER DONE
Talk talk talk. We already know the President and the military are responsible for national defense, and that includes our safety along our border, air and water space.
Sheesh, what’s the hold up? If Trump loses 2020, the next President can just halt the building process.
Is anyone else starting to suspect that Trump is playing us for suckers? If nothing is stopping him from building the wall why is he groveling before Nancy Pelosi?
Nothing but the Ninth Circus Court.
@tRuth,
I have been thinking about how incredible it would be for Trump to announce the go-ahead to build the wall during the SOTU next week.
However, Trump does not do the things when people, least of all me, thinks he should do them. The man has his own timetable and sticks to it. The democrap commu-congress-critters have got to be thinking about that turn of events and how they will respond.
I hope they all have serious insomnia thinking about it.