[76lsjumb]

Wow... 47 years after I took PoliSci 10, I find out Professor Horn was WRONG!  Here I always thought, to quote Wikipedia: "The Constitution also grants Congress exclusively the power to appropriate funds. This power of the purse is one of Congress' primary checks on the executive branch."

Of course, everyone knows that you can't believe everything you read on Wikipedia.  But, still, I always thought -- 'cause I learned it at Stanford -- that anything the federal government did that needed money -- particularly vast amounts of money at levels, and for purposes, never before appropriated -- required at least some action by Congress.  Apparently not, though, since Congress shoulders no responsibility.

47 years ago was a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

In this millennium the executive branch can declare any number of reasons for executive action to then not spend the funds or even use the funds for pet projects.

For example, a POTUS can decide groups of moms and kids walking up to the border seeking asylum are such a big threat to national security that he can take funds allocated to improving military readiness or enhancing border surveillance and divert those resources to building a wall.  Or a POTUS can decide to not use funds for any number of reasons banking on the idea that the courts will be slow to take up the issue.  

POTUS45 is not the first to expand executive branch power, but most of the executive branch power creep has happened in the last ~47 years.

My guess is 47 years ago a Poli Sci instructor would note that Presidents should (and do) work relentlessly to bring the nation together, especially at times of hardship or war.   Fast forward to 2020 and I bet a Poli Sci instructor would be hard pressed to understand the politics of this time.

It would be interesting to create a Bill & Ted's adventure type SNL skit and have prior presidents visit our POTUS at this moment.

Ummm, 47 years ago the President was...  Richard M. Nixon.  

You're right, that was a long, long time ago.  But I don't exactly remember it as a time when the nation was particularly "together."  In fact, blasting Nixon as "the Imperial President" was pretty much the song of the times.  Things don't actually change that much...

As for today's POTUS doing pretty much anything that he wants with money from Congress, well, maybe you missed it, but I believe he's been the recipient [and on the losing end] of more nationwide injunctions than any president before.  and, after all, this wouldn't have been a case of him NOT using funds, it would have required him to use massive amounts of funds for wholly different reasons than appropriated and STILL being way shy of what would have been required.  I'm apparently not as convinced as you are that the Democrats in Congress would have sat back and applauded...

[76lsjumb]

Wow... 47 years after I took PoliSci 10, I find out Professor Horn was WRONG!  Here I always thought, to quote Wikipedia: "The Constitution also grants Congress exclusively the power to appropriate funds. This power of the purse is one of Congress' primary checks on the executive branch."

Of course, everyone knows that you can't believe everything you read on Wikipedia.  But, still, I always thought -- 'cause I learned it at Stanford -- that anything the federal government did that needed money -- particularly vast amounts of money at levels, and for purposes, never before appropriated -- required at least some action by Congress.  Apparently not, though, since Congress shoulders no responsibility.

47 years ago was a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

In this millennium the executive branch can declare any number of reasons for executive action to then not spend the funds or even use the funds for pet projects.

For example, a POTUS can decide groups of moms and kids walking up to the border seeking asylum are such a big threat to national security that he can take funds allocated to improving military readiness or enhancing border surveillance and divert those resources to building a wall.  Or a POTUS can decide to not use funds for any number of reasons banking on the idea that the courts will be slow to take up the issue.  

POTUS45 is not the first to expand executive branch power, but most of the executive branch power creep has happened in the last ~47 years.

My guess is 47 years ago a Poli Sci instructor would note that Presidents should (and do) work relentlessly to bring the nation together, especially at times of hardship or war.   Fast forward to 2020 and I bet a Poli Sci instructor would be hard pressed to understand the politics of this time.

It would be interesting to create a Bill & Ted's adventure type SNL skit and have prior presidents visit our POTUS at this moment.

Ummm, 47 years ago the President was...  Richard M. Nixon.  

You're right, that was a long, long time ago.  But I don't exactly remember it as a time when the nation was particularly "together."  In fact, blasting Nixon as "the Imperial President" was pretty much the song of the times.  Things don't actually change that much...

As for today's POTUS doing pretty much anything that he wants with money from Congress, well, maybe you missed it, but I believe he's been the recipient [and on the losing end] of more nationwide injunctions than any president before.  and, after all, this wouldn't have been a case of him NOT using funds, it would have required him to use massive amounts of funds for wholly different reasons than appropriated and STILL being way shy of what would have been required.  I'm apparently not as convinced as you are that the Democrats in Congress would have sat back and applauded...