Can you call it a constitutional crisis if the problem isn't that the government cannot fulfill its basic functions but rather that it refuses to do so?
Sure. When you're a globe-bestriding empire, there's no particular difference between the two things, but in particular making the judgment that your government has no power to handle a major pandemic and that it should be handed off to some other body (or 50 of them) is pretty textbook. The reasoning will always be some procedural nonsense about what powers are actually granted by <fill in your body of law of choice>. As ever, the feds have all the power in the world when it comes to robbing you (and everyone else around the planet) of life, liberty, and dignity, but are utterly shackled when it comes to keeping you safe.
Can you call it a constitutional crisis if the problem isn't that the government cannot fulfill its basic functions but rather that it refuses to do so?
Sure. When you're a globe-bestriding empire, there's no particular difference between the two things, but in particular making the judgment that your government has no power to handle a major pandemic and that it should be handed off to some other body (or 50 of them) is pretty textbook. The reasoning will always be some procedural nonsense about what powers are actually granted by <fill in your body of law of choice>. As ever, the feds have all the power in the world when it comes to robbing you (and everyone else around the planet) of life, liberty, and dignity, but are utterly shackled when it comes to keeping you safe.