Trump’s wall claims another victory against government norms

When President Trump declared a national emergency that even he admitted wasn’t necessary, he broke longstanding norms about how a president could wield power designated to Congress in order to address crises. Now that he has the declaration in hand, his administration has continued to run roughshod over the norms that make up the unofficial rules of the game in Washington.

The latest example of this is acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan’s decision to simply move money around within the Pentagon’s budget without seeking approval from Congress.