At the heart of the 35-day partial government shutdown, the longest in US history, was a fiery debate over funding for the border wall. Throughout that period, Americans were constantly reassured by officials that the military would remain funded. While the shutdown ended, Trump’s desire to fund the wall did not.

In this episode of Big World, Professor Emeritus Gordon Adams joins us to discuss how defense money can be moved around across departments (1:31) and how flexible that money can be (4:42). He also explains what Trump’s national emergency declaration means for the future of the US from the perspective of both the president and Congress (8:31). But what exactly is an “emergency?” Adams helps us understand the difficulties in defining this word (14:21). He details the intricacies of the 2020 Pentagon budget and what goes into building those types of budgets (23:42). Finally, Adams shares why he includes the word “thespian” in his email signature (30:52).

What five things would Adams change about the way the US engages the world? Hear his bold ideas in our “Take Five” segment (19:36).