Message to the Congress on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Southern Border of the United States

TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:
 
 
     Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days before the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date.  In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency with respect to the southern border of the United States declared in Proclamation 9844 of February 15, 2019, is to continue in effect beyond February 15, 2020.
 
     The ongoing border security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border of the United States continues to threaten our national security, including the security of the American people.  The executive branch has taken steps to address the crisis, but further action is needed to address the humanitarian crisis and to control unlawful migration and the flow of narcotics and criminals across the southern border.  For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in Proclamation 9844 concerning the southern border of the United States.
 
 
 
                              DONALD J. TRUMP

Adam Smith Condemns Waste of DoD Funds on the Border Wall

House
Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) today issued the
following statement after the Trump Administration announced their
intention to reprogram $3.8 billion in Department of Defense funding
from various procurement priorities – including
critical ships, vehicles, and aircraft – to instead fund the wall
through the counter-narcotics account.    

“Today’s
reprogramming request confirms once again that the President is
obsessed with fulfilling a campaign promise at the expense of our
national security.
This Administration has already stolen billions from the Department of
Defense in order to begin building the President’s vanity wall and today
they are doubling down on bad policy. The President loves to take
credit for ‘rebuilding’ the military, but today’s
reprogramming decision does the exact opposite – it will prevent the
acquisition of critical ships, vehicles, and aircraft. Of the $3.8
billion that the President will raid for the wall, $1.5 billion will
come from the National Guard and Reserve Equipment
Account, robbing every state and territory of critical funds
specifically added by Congress to address dual-purpose equipment
shortfalls – such as fire-fighting, engineering, and communications
equipment – to support local authorities for public safety and
natural disaster response.

“The
Trump Administration claims that every military decision they make is
in support of the National Defense Strategy, and that their primary
focus is
the great power competition with Russia and China. But their policy
simply does not match their rhetoric. Rather than investing in the
procurement of critical platforms, this administration would rather dump
another $3.8 billion into a wall on our southern
border.

“It
is clear to me, and anyone with experience in national security policy,
that a wall on our southern border will do nothing to support our
strategic
advantage over Russia and China, support counterterrorism, address
rogue states, or enhance relations with partners and allies. It’s past
time for the administration to align their policy with their rhetoric
and focus on the real national security challenges
at hand, not the President’s re-election”