Trump Claims Power Of Purse Over Congress

 

The Malignant Fascist's remaking of the government in his image continues apace, as he proposes to blow through Constitutional separation of powers:

President Donald Trump threw a grenade Friday into September government funding negotiations on Capitol Hill, declaring the unilateral power to cancel billions of dollars in foreign aid by using a so-called pocket rescission.

Escalating the administration’s assault on Congress’ funding prerogatives, the White House budget office announced Friday morning that Trump has canceled $4.9 billion through the gambit that Congress’ top watchdog and many lawmakers argue is an illegal end-run around their “power of the purse.”

The move to unilaterally nix money previously approved by Congress raises tensions on Capitol Hill as lawmakers face an Oct. 1 deadline to avoid a government shutdown, pitting Republicans at the White House against GOP lawmakers and increasing pressure on Democrats to force a funding lapse unless Trump stands down.

Democrats and Republicans alike have warned that a pocket rescissions request would hamper cross-party talks to avert a shutdown at the end of September, while fulfilling White House budget director Russ Vought’s wish that the process of funding the government be “less bipartisan” to accommodate a raft of conservative priorities.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer hinted Friday that Democrats could refuse to offer the votes to get a government funding bill through the chamber before funding lapses late next month if congressional Republicans don’t push back against Trump’s latest funding move.

“Republicans don’t have to be a rubber stamp for this carnage,” Schumer said, adding that “if Republicans are insistent on going it alone, Democrats won’t be party to their destruction.”  [snip]

The administration filed the rescissions memo in court on Friday, adding another twist to a prominent case moving through the federal courts challenging Trump’s withholding of USAID funding.

That case has already been complicated this month by other questions beyond the expiration of the funds, including whether the head of the GAO — the comptroller general — is the only one who can sue over federal funding being withheld in violation of decades-old impoundment law.

Trump’s latest action is likely to supercharge this legal fight, which is back in the hands of U.S. District Judge Amir Ali, a Biden-era appointee who previously found the administration’s withholding of USAID funds to be illegal on multiple grounds.

Ali is expected to rule quickly on whether there are other bases to order the administration to restore the funding — including whether the cuts were “arbitrary and capricious” under the law.

His decision is likely to send the case surging back to the appellate courts, and possibly even the Supreme Court, to determine whether Trump’s pocket rescissions withstands legal scrutiny. It’s unclear whether the comptroller general, Gene Dodaro, intends to take any additional legal action to force the restoration of funds.

How far the supine MAGAt Congress will bend over in service to the Malignant Fascist in his latest dictatorial power grab?  As far as they're told.  The Republican Supreme Court?  Don't make us laugh.

As for our fearless leadership in the House and Senate, if this doesn't wake them up to the slow civil war that's enveloping them, we don't know what will.