CH1
The Artist Formerly Known as chiggins.
In a January Wall Street Journal poll, most American voters (62%) said protecting funding for education, healthcare, and social safety net programs was a bigger priority than reducing the national debt (34%).
Democrats say the money has been appropriated by Congress and then signed into law by former President Joe Biden, so it must be spent. The Trump administration’s view is much different. Officials note they are calling for a temporary pause in the money, not ending the programs—yet. And, in directing the freeze, the memo directs agencies to act “to the extent permissible under applicable law.” That phrasing could have been a nod to their anticipation of the same legal challenges that swiftly postponed the enactment of the policy.
The issue could end up before the Supreme Court, as incoming White House budget chief Russ Vought has argued that the Impoundment Control Act, a 1974 law that limits the White House’s ability to claw back money, is unconstitutional and should be struck down. Testifying last week before a Senate committee, Vought said that freezes aren’t “impoundments,” but rather represent “programmatic delays.”
The scramble this week could be a dress rehearsal for March 14, when the current spending agreement is set to expire and Congress must pass a new bill—or face a shutdown, the odds of which rise each day.
Democrats say the money has been appropriated by Congress and then signed into law by former President Joe Biden, so it must be spent. The Trump administration’s view is much different. Officials note they are calling for a temporary pause in the money, not ending the programs—yet. And, in directing the freeze, the memo directs agencies to act “to the extent permissible under applicable law.” That phrasing could have been a nod to their anticipation of the same legal challenges that swiftly postponed the enactment of the policy.
The issue could end up before the Supreme Court, as incoming White House budget chief Russ Vought has argued that the Impoundment Control Act, a 1974 law that limits the White House’s ability to claw back money, is unconstitutional and should be struck down. Testifying last week before a Senate committee, Vought said that freezes aren’t “impoundments,” but rather represent “programmatic delays.”
The scramble this week could be a dress rehearsal for March 14, when the current spending agreement is set to expire and Congress must pass a new bill—or face a shutdown, the odds of which rise each day.
