We’re talking about BILLIONS…..
The guy spends what Congress does NOT approve…
And?
Hold back what HE does NOT want to spend….
Republicans in Congress have actually gone along with this….
Is THAT the way things are supposed to work in the American Government?
One SERIOUSLY DOUBTS this gonna be the situation come next year with a Democratic majority Congress….
President Donald Trump informed congressional leaders Friday that he has unilaterally canceled almost $1 billion in federal funding without Congress’ consent — employing a budget maneuver many lawmakers consider illegal.
In a move that will almost certainly set up an ugly government funding battle after the midterms, Trump has again claimed the power to execute a so-called “pocket rescission” to nix money Congress has already enacted. The funding the president declared canceled is for immigration services, support to foreign countries, education programs, health research efforts and assistance for businesses owned by minorities.
By law, the president is allowed to send Congress a request to rescind federal funding, then withhold that money for 45 days while lawmakers consider whether to approve, reject or ignore it. Trump administration officials also argue they have the power to cancel funding without any congressional action by sending Congress a rescission request with less than 45 days left in the fiscal year. The argument is that the money is automatically canceled on Sept. 30, because it is withheld until funding lapses at the end of the fiscal year.
Last year Trump used the maneuver to cancel $4.9 billion in foreign aid.
The Senate’s top Republican appropriator, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, immediately blasted the move as illegal, saying in a statement Friday night that “any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law.”
“This move shows that OMB intentionally withheld these funds for months to execute this unlawful cancellation of appropriations that were approved on a bipartisan basis and signed into law,” Collins added, pledging to work with other lawmakers “to address these illegal actions.”
Collins and other appropriators have already been on high alert in recent days, pressing multiple agencies about funding officials have yet to spend ahead of the expiration date.
Top Republicans have rejected Democratic demands to undo Trump’s cancellation last summer of billions of dollars in foreign aid by pushing off the expiration date for that cash. They have also rebuffed the idea of preventing Trump from executing another pocket rescission this year by barring the president from sending a clawbacks request in the last quarter of the fiscal year.
The House’s top Democratic appropriator, Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, called Friday for Republicans to join Democrats in “rejecting this attempt to circumvent Congress” and said the Trump administration has “clearly been unlawfully impounding funds all year just to get to this point.”…
Nixon did the same thing.
It was called “ impoundment.”
The courts unanimously ruled against him though.
I use the word in my post…..
I also point out that the GOP LED Congress has let him get away with this
Something I doubt a Dem Congress would
Heck?
Even the GOPer’s ARE crying to the media now that their asses are up for a vote, eh?
Donald gonna keep try to do and steal whatever he can for as long as he can