Last month, in the final days of his Administration, President Trump moved to renew the “national emergency” along the US-Mexico border that he had declared in 2019.
“The ongoing border security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border of the United States continues to threaten our national security, including by exacerbating the effect of the pandemic caused by COVID–19,” he told Congress on January 15.
On his first day in office, President Biden terminated that emergency, which he said had been a mistake all along.
“I have determined that the declaration of a national emergency at our southern border was unwarranted. I have also announced that it shall be the policy of my Administration that no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall, and that I am directing a careful review of all resources appropriated or redirected to that end,” he wrote on February 10.
But President Biden declared a new national emergency arising from the February 1 military coup in Burma. The situation in that country poses an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,” he said.
Biden also renewed a 2011 declaration of national emergency concerning Libya. “We need to protect against the diversion of assets or other abuse by persons hindering Libyan national reconciliation,” he wrote on February 11.
There are 38 “national emergencies” currently in effect. They typically entail blocking property and restrictions on financial activity of targeted persons. The history and scope of such emergencies were discussed by the Congressional Research Service in a report that was updated this week. See National Emergency Powers, February 16, 2021.
Although climate change is an emerging challenge and threat, it would be a mistake for the President to declare it this kind of a “national emergency,” argued Elizabeth Goitein of the Brennan Center. See “Declaring climate change an ’emergency’ won’t help Biden fight it,” Washington Post, January 29. See also “Why President Biden Should Not Declare a Climate Emergency” by Soren Dayton and Kristy Parker, Just Security, February 10, 2021.
Most federal agencies consider the start of the hiring process to be the development of the job posting, but the process really begins well before the job is posted and the official clock starts.
The new Administration should announce a national talent surge to identify, scale, and recruit into innovative teacher preparation models, expand teacher leadership opportunities, and boost the profession’s prestige.
Congress should approve a new allowable use of Title I spending that specifically enables and encourages districts to use funds for activities that support and drive equity-focused innovation.
The incoming administration should work towards encouraging state health departments to develop clear and well-communicated data storage standards for newborn screening samples.