On this week's episode of Versus Trump, Charlie, Jason, and Easha bring you a shutdown special, where they talk about the President's emergency powers as well as a lawsuit contending the government is violating federal labor law by not paying workers on time. 

The episode starts with a discussion of the President's claim that he can use emergency powers to build the wall without Congress's appropriation. They discuss the law of emergencies and the specific laws that might authorize a wall and decide that it's a surprisingly close question. Next, they delve into a lawsuit filed in the Court of Federal Claims contending that the Fair Labor Standards Act requires on-time payments for work done by most government employees, and they explain the consequences of the government's violation of this law. They end with listener feedback. 

Notes

• As noted at Lawfare, there are currently at least 28 national emergencies. See here. 
• Lawfare has an excellent Q and A on emergency powers here and a detailed overview here.
• A website about litigation related to a prior shutdown is here. The recently filed FLSA complaint is here.

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