Summary
A Congressional Research Service report states Trump lacks the authority to abolish USAID, as congressional approval is required.
It explains that a 1998 law briefly allowed reorganization but expired in 1999. While past administrations have modified USAID’s functions, they consulted Congress.
Lawmakers are concerned about Trump’s executive order pausing foreign aid and potential USAID-State Department consolidation.
People don’t seem to understand that there is a whole new order now. Previously, we said the President can’t do X, Y, or Z, and we relied on long-standing norms, beliefs, and traditions as a self-enforcing mechanism. We told the President “You can’t”, and he said “Okay”. But now, we’re saying “You can’t”, and Trump is saying “Who says I can’t, and what are you going to do about it?”, knowing that the answer is largely “Nothing.”
This is the way it works now.
Unless there is something directly in the Constitution explicitly saying that Trump cannot do something, then as far as Trump is concerned, he can and will do it.
Even if there is something in the Constitution explicitly stating that Trump cannot do something, Trump is going to do it anyway to see if anybody is willing to enforce it.
If nobody is willing or able to stop him, Trump essentially has the power to do it.
Even if a court ruling were to prevent Trump from directly shutting down a federal agency like USAID, what’s to just stop him from firing the entire staff and saying “Sure, USAID can remain open. It’ll just have zero employees.”. Then what?
I get it, he’s doing all kinds of shit that’s illegal now. And I get it, people need to stand up to him.
At the same time, let’s not do his work for him by treating it like a forgone conclusion he will do whatever he wants.
Sometimes politicians, law enforcement and just rank & file workers need assurance and official blessing to not comply.
I don’t like how things are going at all, and want to be clear eyed about the situation. Still, lets not assume it’s all over, cause it’s not.
Have you not been paying attention? Have you seen even the slightest smidge of indication that anyone in power will stand up to him? Because right now, he’s doing whatever he wants and being rewarded for it, and that doesn’t look like it’s going to change any time soon.
And right now the official word they’re getting is comply, be fired, or be sent to Gitmo/El Salvador. There is nobody in a position to be able to give them “an official blessing to not comply” even if they wanted to. If you want, I’ll give you my official blessing not to comply. It carries just as much weight right now (read: none).
I wish I had your optimism. But right now, every political body that could stand up to Trump is either marching in lockstep with him or rolling over and playing dead. That optimism right now just isn’t based in reality.
Didn’t things look worse when Nazi Germany was at its height? Didn’t things look worse when slavery was at its height?
The state of the world has been much worse before, and things still got better.
We have to acknowledge that a lot of people died, and a lot more were hurt, before things got better. And it may come to that in our times as well. But barring nuclear disaster, things can improve. And one prerequisite is not agreeing to lay down and die.
Like I said, I get it. Seems like anyone with any real power doesn’t recognize the severity of the situation. Seems like there’s no justice. Are you going to say “no point in trying”? I don’t think so because you wouldn’t be so mad about it if you didn’t care. I don’t have the answer. But believing change is possible is a crucial ingredient in change happening.