美国国家公共电台 NPR If Trump Declares An Emergency To Build The Wall, Congress Can Block Him

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

There is an uncanny sense of we have been here before when it comes to the debate over border security. Today President Trump¹ again travels to El Paso, Texas, to make his case for the wall. Negotiations² are at a standstill again, and the stakes are the same. A partial government shutdown looms³. President Trump has threatened that if he doesn't get what he wants from congressional Democrats⁴, he could declare a national emergency to build the wall. Congress, though, could push back. NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith reports.

TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE⁵: Under the National Emergencies Act of 1976, the president can declare an emergency for just about anything. As President Trump has considered using that authority to circumvent⁶ Congress and build a wall, that near unlimited⁷ presidential power has gotten a lot of attention. But it isn't the whole story. Congress also gave itself the ability to terminate an emergency declaration. But in the more than 40 years since the law was passed, only one member of Congress has ever tried it.

GEORGE MILLER⁸: It was a lever that we had, and we decided⁹ to use it.

KEITH: George Miller is a retired¹⁰ Democratic congressman¹¹ from California, and the year was 2005.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

GEORGE W. BUSH: There is a recovery on the way. There's progress being made.

KEITH: In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, President George W. Bush issued a proclamation saying government contractors¹² could pay workers less than usual for recovery-related projects. He justified¹³ it saying the conditions caused by Katrina constituted a national emergency. But Miller and others in Congress objected.

MILLER: To suggest that they should work at lower wages was just an insult.

KEITH: Miller introduced a resolution under the National Emergencies Act to terminate Bush's action. Under the law, the relevant committee had 15 days to consider the measure and vote. On day 14, President Bush announced he would revoke¹⁴ his own proclamation. That was the closest Congress ever came to voting to rescind¹⁵ a presidential emergency under the 1976 law. John Lawrence was a young congressional staffer back when the Emergencies Act was passed.

JOHN LAWRENCE: The context of the time was Congress really on a bipartisan basis reaching to claw back power from what was then known as an imperial presidency¹⁶.

KEITH: But over the decades, Congress hasn't asserted itself. Here's Andrew Rudalevige, a professor of government at Bowdoin College.

ANDREW RUDALEVIGE: The catch was that for them to actually rein¹⁷ in presidential power, Congress would have to take action. They'd have to pay attention. They'd have to be willing to go against the will of a president even of their own party. They haven't done that.

KEITH: But that could change if President Trump follows through on his threat. A Democratic leadership aide tells NPR the House will vigorously challenge Trump if he declares an emergency, and that would likely include a resolution like the one Miller introduced back in 2005. If the Democratically controlled House were to pass it under the law, the Republican Senate would have no choice but to vote on it. Several Republican senators, including Roy Blunt from Missouri, have been cautioning the president, please don't put us in that position.

ROY BLUNT: I have real concerns about it. But I'm not going to start talking about the floor strategy and how I'm going to vote and how the House is going to vote until we get there. And I hope we don't get there.

KEITH: But if they do get there and a resolution were to pass, President Trump could still veto it. Until now, presidents have typically used emergencies in line with congressional intent, says Russell Riley, a presidential scholar at the Miller Center. But what Trump is contemplating¹⁸ would be different, he says.

RUSSELL RILEY: Having gone to Congress repeatedly, having not gotten his way with them, you can't simply throw your hands up and say, oh, you know, my commander in chief powers now will be invoked¹⁹ to declare an emergency.

KEITH: For a president whose time in office has been defined by busting²⁰ norms and who relishes²¹ being different from his predecessors²², it would be fitting that Trump could become the first president to have Congress actually vote to terminate an emergency declaration. Tamara Keith, NPR News.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

3 looms   

n.织布机( loom的名词复数 )v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的第三人称单数 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• All were busily engaged,men at their ploughs,women at their looms. 大家都很忙，男的耕田，女的织布。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The factory has twenty-five looms. 那家工厂有25台织布机。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 circumvent   

vt.环绕，包围；对…用计取胜，智胜

参考例句：

• Military planners tried to circumvent the treaty.军事策略家们企图绕开这一条约。
• Any action I took to circumvent his scheme was justified.我为斗赢他的如意算盘而采取的任何行动都是正当的。

7 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

8 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

11 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

12 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

14 revoke   

v.废除，取消，撤回

参考例句：

• The university may revoke my diploma.大学可能吊销我的毕业证书。
• The government revoked her husband's license to operate migrant labor crews.政府撤销了她丈夫管理外来打工人群的许可证。

15 rescind   

v.废除，取消

参考例句：

• They accepted his advice and rescinded the original plan.他们听从了他的劝告，撤销了原计划。
• Trade Union leaders have demanded the government rescind the price rise.工会领导已经要求政府阻止价格上涨。

16 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

17 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。

18 contemplating   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• You're too young to be contemplating retirement. 你考虑退休还太年轻。
• She stood contemplating the painting. 她站在那儿凝视那幅图画。

19 invoked   

v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• It is unlikely that libel laws will be invoked. 不大可能诉诸诽谤法。
• She had invoked the law in her own defence. 她援引法律为自己辩护。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 busting   

打破，打碎( bust的现在分词 )； 突击搜查（或搜捕）； （使）降级，降低军阶

参考例句：

• Jim and his wife were busting up again yesterday. 吉姆和他的妻子昨天又吵架了。
• He figured she was busting his chops, but it was all true. 他以为她在捉弄他，其实完全是真的。

21 relishes   

n.滋味( relish的名词复数 )；乐趣；（大量的）享受；快乐v.欣赏( relish的第三人称单数 )；从…获得乐趣；渴望

参考例句：

• The meat relishes of pork. 这肉有猪肉味。 来自辞典例句
• The biography relishes too much of romance. 这篇传记中传奇色彩太浓。 来自辞典例句

22 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》