The White House budget office has rejected a recent conclusion by a nonpartisan congressional watchdog, which stated that the Trump administration is violating the law by not allocating funds as dictated by Congress. According to a report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the administration contravened the Impoundment Control Act by halting spending on electric vehicle charging stations. The GAO asserted that the administration should have sought a formal rescissions process, where Congress agrees to funding cuts, rather than stopping the spending outright.
Russ Vought, the budget director, dismissed the GAO’s findings on social media, referring to them as “non-events with no consequence” and stating that they were attempts to impede the administration’s efforts to manage taxpayer money effectively. The Department of Transportation did not immediately provide a comment regarding the situation.
This issue is part of an ongoing debate about government spending. The Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse, and the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 was enacted to require presidents to spend funds as Congress intends. Donald Trump had indicated a desire to challenge this law during his campaign, a position supported by Vought since his first term as the director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Vought has argued that the 1974 law is unconstitutional, citing a previous instance when aid to Ukraine was blocked, leading to a confrontation with Congress and Trump’s first impeachment by Democrats. In Trump’s second term, the matter is expected to be resolved by the Supreme Court.
Senator Patty Murray, the vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, criticized the blocking of funds by the Trump administration, stating that the President does not possess the power of the purse, which belongs to Congress. The GAO is currently investigating 39 more potential instances of impoundment under this administration. The impoundment act allows the GAO’s head to sue the president if a law violation is confirmed, though no decision has been made to pursue such action. Several states have already filed lawsuits against the administration for the funding pause on electric vehicle charging.
