The director of the Office of Management and Budget is infuriating Republican lawmakers by "going rogue" on what appropriations were approved by the House and Senate.
MS NOW's Hayes Brown wrote on Monday that Director Russell Vought has made a unilateral decision to control whether funds are actually sent out for projects that Congress approved.
The constitutional core is Article I’s Appropriations Clause: “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” So, the president can't legally spend Treasury money unless Congress has authorized it through law. Appropriations are technically laws approved by Congress. The president's Article II powers mandate that he “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.”
But the executive branch is refusing to disburse the funds approved by law. In fact, Brown explained that "Vought has used every lever he can reach to stanch the flow of federal dollars."
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35 Comments
santa@sh.itjust.works · 49 pts · 1d
Constitutional Crisis as a Service /s
I hate this timeline. We must survive. Right?
grue@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 1d
Yes, we'll survive. Except for all those who don't (millions so far, between COVID, ending of USAID, ICE, attacks on Venezuela and Iran, etc.).
nymnympseudonym@piefed.social · 25 pts · 1d
Alex Pretti
Renee Good
❤️🩹
nkat2112@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 1d
Thank you for sharing those two names and happy cake day.
credo@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 1d
There is no crisis. It’s a gap in our framework.
There isn’t a law that says the Executive must spend the money Congress approved. The intent is, if the Executive is doing a poor job, the People will vote him/her out.
The People are the problem (because of a decades long assault on education and a concerted brainwashing campaign by the oligarchy).
ryathal@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 1d
It's also not necessarily a bad thing to have an executive not spend money Congress approved. While many likely disagree with how that discretion is being used, it's not bad that it exists.
AA5B@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 22h
You’re assuming the executive branch in its infinite wisdom knows better what we all want than Congress? I completely disagree. While I disagree with a lot of what Congress does, the consensus approach is less likely to lead to abuse
ryathal@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 21h
I'm assuming that it's a check against Congress just appropriating absurdly large sums for pet projects or for securing donations. The job of the executive is not to blindly follow Congress, but it's also not to fight everything Congress wants.
AA5B@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 17h
The responsibilities of each branch, the checks and balances, are well defined on both sides. Going off script is almost by definition an abuse of power
ryathal@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 16h
It's not off script. Not spending a billion dollars on Capitol landscaping even if Congress appropriated that much wouldn't be faithfully executing the laws.
turtlesareneat@piefed.ca · 2 pts · 1d
In a perfect world maybe. In today's world where the executive has stolen and consolidated huge amounts of power, it's just another way to bypass Congress's intent and purpose,.
ryathal@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 1d
Congress has the power to impeach an executive not doing what they want. It's not limited to just the president. They are happier to just complain than use their powers though.
in_my_honest_opinion@piefed.social · 1 pts · 20h
Exactly this, we don't need to legislate our way out of a problem that already has a solution.
AA5B@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 22h
The idiots that are us only have limited options years apart. For day to day issues, it is mainly Congress who can serve as a check to executive overreach. They are the failure. Most of the overreach is the executive branch stealing congressional authority and they don’t seem to care
ReptilianCleric@lemmy.zip · 0 pts · 1d
The people are the problem because the real problem is something else? What a stupid statement.
credo@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 21h
Oh yeah- always stupid to peel back the layers of causation. What an intelligent statement and addition to the conversation!
ReptilianCleric@lemmy.zip · 0 pts · 15h
That's the most pathetic description of victim blaming I've heard yet.
Buffalox@lemmy.world · 27 pts · 1d
Furious he is going rogue, from the going rogue party, with the rogue president having a rogue administration?!?!
Are they out of acid so they had a lucid moment?
Nah probably just a bad trip.
Yuccagnocchiyaki@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 1d
He's gone so rogue that he is following a PLAYBOOK called PROJECT 2025!
IF ONLY THEY KNEW WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO NEXT!?
Buffalox@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1d
Yes that was impossible to predict. IMPOSSIBLE!
daychilde@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 22h
I know I'm certainly seeing rouge
Buffalox@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 22h
Anyone with any sanity is. But republicans got what they advocated for. It's like getting mad about getting garlic ice-cream after asking for garlic ice-cream.
CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 1d
What did these assholes think was going to happen?
This is the same smug little jerkoff that is the architect of Project 2025.
Raiderkev@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 21h
Fascists shocked fascist they put in charge is doing fascist things. More at 11.
anon_8675309@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 20h
Well no fucking shit! He co fucking authored Project 2025!
dreamkeeper@literature.cafe · 15 pts · 1d
Congress and the judiciary both need their own law enforcement branches to arrest traitors who pull this shit. What vought us doing is straight up theft.
ryathal@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 1d
The US Marshalls and Capitol Police sort of fill that role, but the real remedy here would be impeachment of Vought. They aren't mad enough to actually do that though.
dreamkeeper@literature.cafe · 2 pts · 1d
The marshals were moved to the executive branch unfortunately. And the Capitol Police only have jurisdiction on congressional land and for personal security for reps.
daychilde@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 22h
ok but also "The crime is coming from inside the House¹!"
¹ I'm very proud of this pun. But also the Senate.
fartographer@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 1d
The guy who said he doesn't answer to us isn't answering to us!
daychilde@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 22h
I hate to be the one to correct that to "DOGE". I thought it was fucking ridiculous at the time, and still do.
WindyRebel@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 21h
I cannot, even jokingly, refer to my Shiba Inu using that meme anymore. I refuse.
daychilde@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 16h
Yeah, I can see that. So many things ruined by fascism. heh
Fredthefishlord@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 12h
It's sad to me that you let them ruin it for you
Malyca@lemmy.zip · 9 pts · 1d
It's a travesty that vought is still breathing after everything he's done and everything he's capable of doing in the future.