Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) took to the Senate floor on Wednesday morning to call out Senate Republicans for helping President Donald Trump and the White House snatch away Congress power of the purse.
And, given that the Trump administration has so fully robbed Congress of its authority to make spending decisions, Warren expressed her opposition to participating in the appropriations process the historically bipartisan, mammoth undertaking Congress attempts every year to compile the federal governments budget for the next fiscal year arguing that Democrats cant trust Republicans and Trump to uphold any bipartisan government funding agreement.
I voted no on that funding bill because even if this bill becomes law, I dont believe Donald Trump has any intention of following that law, Warren said on the Senate floor, referring to the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill she voted against last week. And Im not willing to be a helpmate on another one of Donald Trumps scams.
The Massachusetts Democrat pointed to the White House and Office of Budget Managements (OMB) actions since Trump took office, including its moves to illegally withhold congressionally approved funds. In some cases, the White House has used the rescissions process to force congressional Republicans to sign off on its decision to withhold those funds, an effort to give some legitimacy to the administrations decision to pursue what is effectively impoundment.
Consider his administrations track record of the past six months on congressional spending laws, Warren said of the president. First, Trump tried to freeze billions of dollars that American families and businesses count on money that Congress set aside to support everything from food assistance programs to scientific research. Multiple federal judges blocked the illegal power grab, saying it blatantly violated the Constitution of the United States. Now, even Republicans are begging the administration to hand out the money for investments that Congress already passed and, by law, that their communities were promised.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought has been the administrations most outspoken defender on these issues, claiming that, per his interpretation of the law, the appropriations bills passed by Congress create a ceiling for the administrations spending, but not a floor. Earlier this month, he said, the U.S. has an executive branch ensuring that it is not cowing to a legislative branchs understanding of its own authorities and powers on spending.
The nonpartisan legislative branch agency Government Accountability Office has already issued three separate rulings saying the Trump administration violated the Impoundment Control Act by illegally withholding funds.
Republicans in Congress are bowing down to Donald Trump and ratifying some of his worst efforts, Warren said, pointing to the recent rescissions package Republicans passed which clawed back billions in foreign aid and public media funding.
And if that wasnt bad enough, Trump is already plotting to use a shady loophole to defund even more programs, demanding cuts so late in the year that Congress doesnt have time to do anything about it, Warren continued, warning of the pocket rescissions gimmick the White House and OMB have indicated they are considering.
Pocket rescissions describes a loophole Vought and his allies believe they have found in the budgeting process that, they claim, allows them to declare congressionally approved funding rescinded if a rescissions package is sent to Congress close to the end of the fiscal year when funds will expire.
Voughts views on the extent to which congressional appropriations are legally binding on the executive branch have been rejected by a wide range of legal experts. Whether his interpretation prevails will likely be a decision for the Supreme Court.
Why should Democrats come to the table and negotiate in good faith and throw our support behind a quote-unquote bipartisan bill, only for Republicans to turn around after the deal is done and, somewhere down the line, delete any parts of the deal Trump doesnt like? Warren asked.
Warren also urged Democrats to use the power they have in the appropriations process funding bills require 60 votes in the Senate, requiring some Senate Democrats to join the Republicans to successfully pass the bills to get assurances that any government funding they will support would include an agreement that they wont take back that deal a few weeks later.
Our founders didnt give the president the power to decide spending, Warren said. A king can decide anything he wants, but not a president. Donald Trump wants to be able to wake up and decide to cancel funding for public education, for transportation products, for medical research, for food inspectors, for anything, just because Donald Trump feels like it. And he wants the Republicans in Congress to roll over and let it happen. No checks, no balances. Just Trump playing King.
