STATEMENT: Vought Doubling Down On Illegal Executive Branch Power Grab Should Give Senate Republicans Pause
OMB Nominee Confirmed He’d Carry Trump’s Water Day After White House Illegally Impounded Inflation Reduction Act Funding To Create Manufacturing Jobs, Rebuild Highways
Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, Donald Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director nominee Russell Vought testified before the Senate Budget Committee. During his hearing, Vought was unable to coherently defend Trump’s unlawful impoundment of funding appropriated by Congress and refused to acknowledge the Impoundment Control Act, confirming he’d carry water for Trump’s executive power grab of Congress’s power of the purse.
On Monday, within moments of taking the Oath of Office, President Trump unleashed an unconstitutional and unprecedented plan to illegally impound funds already obligated by the federal government. By issuing an unconstitutional deferral of funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Trump Administration is withholding money for clean energy manufacturing jobs, state highway projects and other key domestic economic priorities.
After Vought’s second hearing, Congressional Integrity Project Senior Advisor Kyle Herrig issued the following statement on behalf of the Checks and Balances War Room:
“One day after President Trump illegally withheld funding lawfully appropriated by Congress to create clean energy manufacturing jobs and rebuild our state highways, Office of Management and Budget Director nominee Russ Vought made clear he’d do nothing to stop this power grab.
“Under oath, Vought doubled down on his false narrative that the President can simply ignore laws passed by Congress when, in fact, the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice and the Government Accountability Office have all determined the President has no such right.
“Senate Republicans need to carefully consider whether or not they want to sign away their constitutional authority of the power of the purse – and the spending priorities of their constituents – to an ideological crusader waging a battle already found to be unconstitutional.”
Impoundment occurs when the president declines to spend money Congress has appropriated and enacted into law. This practice has always been unconstitutional, supported by the 1974 Impoundment Control Act which requires Congressional approval of any impoundments. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump made the power of impoundment a priority in his agenda. New polling from the Wall Street Journal shared that an overwhelming majority of voters are opposed to impoundments.
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