Trump administration sabotages major conservation effort, defying Congress - Polidicks

Trump administration sabotages major conservation effort, defying Congress Revealed: federal support to research centers cut off as scientists fear years of successful work will go ‘down the drain’ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/08/trump-administration-sabotages-major-conservation-effort-defying-congress Scientists and officials around the US have told the Guardian that the Trump administration has withdrawn funding for a large, successful conservation program – in direct contradiction of instructions from Congress. Unique in scale and ambition, the program comprises 22 research centers that tackle big-picture issues affecting huge swaths of the US, such as climate change, flooding and species extinction. They are known as Landscape Conservation Cooperatives – or were, because 16 of them are now on indefinite hiatus or have dissolved. “I just haven’t seen anything like this in my almost 30 years of working with the federal government,” said a scientist at the Fish and Wildlife Service who worked for one of the LCCs and wished to remain anonymous, because federal employees were instructed not to speak with the Guardian for this story. “There is this lack of accountability.” The first anonymous scientist is in despair. “I’d say there could be five to six years [of work] down the drain.”

Can the White House defund something that got explicit funding from Congress like this? It seems like an unconstitutional move to me.

Who needs science when you could build a wall.

This is a violation of separation of powers. But for that to mean anything Congress has to not be a bunch of limp-dick enablers led by a racist turtle.

It's as blatant treason as is usual for this administration, and the senate remain accessories to it.

Don't worry, the GOP will feel this when they lose the Executive branch. Only it will be in reversing everything they did in Trump's admin.

The rule of law is only as strong as its enforcement.

It makes me want to giggle like a school girl when I see people call the GOP the "party of Law and Order"; I guess "law and order" only matters when it comes to email servers and disenfranchising minorities.

This move could be overturned by the courts if they decide to sue though, could it not?

Looking at the past two or so years, do you honestly expect the GOP side of Congress to so much as lay a finger on Trump when it comes to holding him accountable via checks and balances?

I said the courts, not Congress.

its a blatantly unconstitutional move, if the scotus sides with the WH then the president can basically ignore congress and appropriate funds or cut programs anywhere anytime for any reason

This is just ridiculous, like... why

Because our country is being run into the ground by reality TV characters with less nuance than fucking Captain Planet villains.

to be fair some of the captain planet villains were time travelers literally trying to sell nukes to adolf hitler in the past

And even then the only reason they were technically worse than Ruspublicans is because time travel is not possible in this reality.

research centers that tackle big-picture issues affecting huge swaths of the US, such as climate change I would image there is pressure to shut this sort of thing down by certain lobbying groups.

Remember when they put a person who wanted to destroy the EPA in charge of the EPA, and once he left they put an oil lobbyist in charge of the EPA?

why pay them when the Heartland Institute has all the research we ever need!