Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN that the President’s national emergency declaration to acquire billions of dollars in funding for his southern border wall is a “moment of truth.”

“It’s going to be a real test for my GOP colleagues in Congress and their devotion to the institution. if we give away the power of the purse, which is our most important power, there will be little check and no balance left. It’ll not be a separation of powers anymore, just a separation of parties,” said Schiff on CNN’s “State of the Union” to host Dana Bash

“So, this is going to be a moment of truth for my GOP colleagues,” Schiff added,

The president had initially been looking for $5.5 billion for his border wall, even shutting down the government for more than a month in a bitter dispute over the funding. Nevertheless, he did sign a measure last week which secured only $1.375 billion for a broader border security package that doesn’t specifically include his wall, but does include funding earmarked for roughly 55 miles of physical barriers along the border.

President Trump himself skewered his own national emergency declaration, saying of his wall project, “I want to do it faster. I could do the wall over a longer period of time. I didn’t need to do this, but I’d rather do it much faster” in the press conference in the Rose Garden at the White House that declared the emergency.

Schiff mentioned this as well, calling it a “dare.”

“In saying just the other day that he didn’t really need to do this. He just wanted to do it because it would help things go faster. He’s pretty much daring the court to strike this down.”

The President also said in his declaration that he expects it to be challenged, and even that he will get a few “bad rulings” before winning at the Supreme Court.

View the exchange below:

Democrat @RepAdamSchiff on why he said Trump’s national emergency is “unconstitutional”: “If we give away, if we surrender the power of the purse … there will be little check and no balance left. It’ll not be a separation of powers anymore, just a separation of parties” #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/R1ghj3S84w

— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) February 17, 2019

Image via screen capture from video source.

Fox News has claimed that the Democrats will support some funding for President Trump’s southern border wall, but only in exchange for less beds at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities. Senator Graham, speaking on the channel, sees that as a non-starter.

“[President Trump] can’t sign such a bill, and I don’t know if that’s 100% accurate, but I think that’s the impasse we have. They’re willing to give the president a little more money for the wall, but in return they want to limit the number of bed spaces allowed to house violent criminals,” said Graham.

“This goes back to AOC’s [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s] belief that ICE should be abolished,” added Graham. “So, the bottom line is how can you get money for a wall and at the same time limit spaces for violent offenders and say you’ve solved the immigration problem. You’ve actually incentivizing more illegal immigration by reducing the bed space, and it undercuts any money you’d get for a wall. He can’t sign that bill.”

“If that’s the friction point, then we’ll have a Continuing Resolution and we’ll just keep talking,” concluded Graham.

The government was shut down for over a month over an impasse surrounding President Trump’s insistence for border wall funding, with the impasse further strengthened by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s insistence to not allow a vote on any funding bill that did not include border wall funding.

A continuing resolution was put into place to stop the shutdown two weeks ago, with the stipulation that a bill that includes Donald Trump’s demand for over 5 billion dollars in funding for a border wall be included. Talks over that budget have broken down over this weekend, leading to speculation that another shutdown is forthcoming.

Many ICE facilities are privately operated, and require a certain number of beds in order to retain profitability. Once such company, GEO Groups, was awarded a $110 Million, 10-year agreement in April of 2017, to run the 1,000-bed Montgomery Processing Center in Texas. CoreCivic, which runs the South Texas Family Residential Center, was awarded a $1 billion contract in 2014, though terms were renegotiated to a lower cost in 2016.

View the exchange below.

Image via screen capture from video source.

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney once again reiterated that another partial government shutdown may becoming, assuming congress is unable to provide a budget inclusive of his border wall proposal.

Negotiations at current have only included about half of the five billion dollars President Trump has sought to begin construction of the wall. Many have indicated that the cost for such a barrier would be far higher than that.

Even though money remains a question, Mulvaney was adamant that the president would be constructing his wall regardless.

“The president is going to build the wall,” said Mulvaney. 

Mulvaney added, “We will take as much money as you can give us, and we will often find the money someplace else — legally — in other to secure that southern barrier. But this is going to get built with or without congress.”

Mulvaney was, however, unwilling to rule out yet another government shutdown, saying, “government shutdown is still technically on the table.”

“Let’s say that the hardcore left wing of the Democrat party prevails this negotiation and they put a bill on the president’s desk with, say, zero money for the wall or $800 million, some absurdly low number,” said Mulvaney. “How does he sign that? He cannot in good faith sign that?”

Mulvaney’s comments echo the President’s own last week, where the president claimed to not be willing to “take anything off the table” in these negotiations, including the possibly of declaring a national emergency.

“Well, I don’t — I don’t take anything off the table,” said Trump to Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan. “I don’t like to take things off the table. It’s that alternative. It’s national emergency, it’s other things and you know there have been plenty national emergencies called.”

This also echoes a previous statement by Mulvaney just two days after the previous shutdown ended, also on Face the Nation. 

“He doesn’t want to shut the government down,” said Mulvaney. “Let’s make that very clear. He doesn’t want to declare a national emergency. What he wants to do is fix this the way that things are supposed to get fixed with our government which is through legislation.”

Congress has until the end of next week to provide the President with a budget proposal. It will them be up to President Trump to sign it to avoid another costly government shutdown.

View the entire exchange with Mulvaney below:

Image via screen capture from video source.