Threatening to declare an emergency is akin to scheduling an unexpected event, so by definition a promised emergency cannot actually be a true crisis. But that isn’t to say a bogus emergency declaration cannot itself spark another crisis, and that’s exactly what President Trump has done. The president says the United State is in an official state of emergency because of border crossings from Mexico and will try to redirect money already allocated by Congress so he can build his wall. Instead of taking his lumps and trying to make a better case for funding the wall next year, however, Trump is trying to circumvent Congress through a spurious emergency declaration. But there’s a world of difference between using executive orders to accomplish things Congress could not, and declaring an emergency to overturn a decision Congress made.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 16, 2019 12:00 UTC