House Republican appropriators have shown little problem with President Donald Trump and Elon Musk snatching the power of the purse from Congress.
In fact, some are downright embracing it. Just take a look at what House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) told us:
Given Trump’s iron grip on the GOP, it’s hardly surprising that he and Musk have generally encountered minimal resistance from Republicans on Capitol Hill as they embark on a dramatic reshaping of the federal bureaucracy.
But it’s still striking that even Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee — an exclusive panel that oversees more than $1.7 trillion in annual spending — are OK with ceding some of their very own power to the White House.
Cole acknowledged that the Trump administration’s desire to challenge the Impoundment Control Act, a 1974 law that mandates that the executive branch spend funds appropriated by Congress, is a “controversial” tool but also argued it’s “not unprecedented.“ On Musk’s stunning dismantling of USAID, Cole called it a “valuable exercise” that shed light on misuses in congressional funding.
Other House GOP appropriators also agreed that funding should be paused so the Trump administration can review it. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), the chair of the Labor-HHS subcommittee, said he’s not worried that the Trump administration is encroaching on Congress’ spending power.
“Most Republicans would agree with President Trump that there needs to be some holding up, some funding that was probably out of line of how it would be spent,” Aderholt said.
To be clear, not all House GOP appropriators are on board with everything. Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.), the THUD cardinal, told us he’s fine with the funding pause but wants to ensure Congress has the final say on appropriations.
“I’m an Article 1 guy,” Womack said, referring to Congress’ coming before the presidency in the Constitution.
Some members didn’t mince words. “The law is the law,” Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said of the Impoundment Control Act, noting it has stood up to previous court challenges.
Senate Republicans haven’t been much more vocal during the DOGE blitz. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) complained publicly about the now-withdrawn funding freeze imposed by OMB as well as the USAID dismantling. But Senate GOP leaders haven’t done much to stop it either.
Democrats now want assurances from Republicans that any funding deal they agree to will be implemented. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said the GOP needs to “grow a spine.”
Republicans are too scared to go against Trump and Musk, DeLauro insisted.
“There is no one standing up,” DeLauro said. “I believe my Republican colleagues are frightened of what kind of retribution there may be.”
