But by a 2-to-1 vote, the appeals court panel ruled that under the #Impoundment Control Act of 1974, only the Government Accountability Office [#USGAO], which serves as #Congress's independent #watchdog, could challenge #Trump’s efforts to withhold #ForeignAid funding. The panel found that groups that receive government #funding — in this instance, a number of #global #health nonprofits — do not have cause to challenge Trump’s funding cuts.

#law #AbuseOfPower

Since taking office, #Trump & his advisers have consistently claimed expansive #authority to freeze federal dollars allocated for projects they have endeavored to snuff out — an action known as #impoundment that legal scholars & #aid groups had considered to be strictly limited under federal #law.

#AbuseOfPower

The next month, #Paoletta told a federal agency directly that it should “pay no heed whatsoever to GAO’s conclusions, as they are incorrect” on the matter of #impoundment. Paoletta said the #GAO took an overly broad view of the #law, & #Trump could legally withhold money temporarily “to determine the most appropriate use of the funds” [nope].

#law #ExecutiveBranch #AbuseOfPower #Project2025 #RussVought

The scrutiny has enraged a WH focused on *cutting spending* that does not align w/Trump’s political views & priorities.

In a May letter to the #GAO, Mark #Paoletta, #OMB general counsel, described GAO’s requests as “voluminous, burdensome & inappropriately invasive.” He said the #Trump admin would stop cooperating in #impoundment investigations, claiming that its frequent requests for docs “undermine agency efforts to faithfully *implement* [subvert] the #law & the president’s priorities.”

But the GAO’s recent work on #impoundment has proved more politically contentious, & under #Trump, it has been met w/fierce #Republican opposition.

In May, the #watchdog found that the admin wrongly blocked funds under a $5B program to build #EV charging stations, a component of the #Biden-era #bipartisan infrastructure #law that Trump sees as *wasteful*. In June, the #GAO determined the admin mishandled funding for #libraries & #museums, after Trump curtailed the agency overseeing the money.

The #GAO has twice determined in recent months that Trump’s actions violated rules that prohibit him from unilaterally canceling #funding, a move known as #impoundment. The office has 46 open investigations into other allegations that #Trump illegally withheld funds, the agency confirmed this week.

#law #ExecutiveBranch #AbuseOfPower #Project2025 #RussVought