Upton Backs Resolution To Curb Emergency Declarations

washington-8
washington-8

A bi-partisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House is backing a resolution intended to reduce the use of national emergency declarations by presidents. Among the co-sponsors of the plan is Congressman Fred Upton, who tells WSJM News this amendment to the National Emergencies Act would require the approval of Congress when a declaration is declared. The move is inspired by President Trump’s recent emergency declaration.

“It says that if and when a president makes a decision using an emergency declaration to spend considerable sums of money, in this case billions of dollars, then the Congress would have to be on board,” Upton said. “They would have 60 days to ratify in essence what the president has decided.”

Upton says this is similar to the War Powers Act. He adds the idea is to “re-install what our founding fathers said in the Constitution,” telling us only Congress should have the power to spend. If the president tries to circumvent that, Upton says it could only last for two months. The resolution was introduced by Congressman Tom Reed of New York.