特朗普宣布国家紧急状态 执意修建美墨边境墙

The government will not shut down when the clock strikes midnight tonight. President Trump has signed a border security and government funding bill that will keep the federal government open for business.

It delivers far less border wall funding than the president demanded. And so also today, Trump followed through on something he's been hinting at, threatening for weeks.

He signed a proclamation declaring a national emergency that will allow him to take money from other parts of the government to build his border wall.

It's been signed by other presidents. From 1977 or so, it gave the presidents the power. There's rarely been a problem. They sign it. Nobody cares. I guess they weren't very exciting.

Let me bring in NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith. Hey, Tam. Hi.

Start with the president - with the precedent because he's right. Presidents have done this before. Yeah, that's right. Since the National Emergencies Act was passed in 1976, 59 emergencies have been declared.

Some 30 are still on the books. But none have been like this. They were generally all in line with congressional intent and related to situations widely agreed to be emergencies,

whereas in this instance, you know, Congress has clearly decided not to give the president all the money he was asking for. So he is using an emergency to get around the limitations that were placed on him.

Numerous members of Congress, including a handful of Republicans, are saying that this is executive overreach in this form. And what arguments did he marshal to support his position in declaring this emergency proclamation?

I was watching some at the White House today. And he was describing the situation at the southern border as a crisis, as a national emergency,