President-elect Donald Trump’s congressional allies are emerging in advance of his expected effort to gain more power over government spending.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) introduced legislation Monday that would repeal the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, the law that presidents must follow if they want to delay or rescind funds that Congress has appropriated.
To be clear, this bill is unlikely to ever pass, in this Congress or the next. Democrats are strongly opposed, and a lot of Republicans will see the move for what it is — a dramatic shift in the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches.
And this is an important point — if Trump succeeds in doing this, the next president, whether Republican or Democrat, will do the same thing too.
Trump will need all the allies on the Hill he can get for this showdown. Lee and Clyde are now at the top of that list, as are the 17 House Republicans who cosponsored the bill. Lee took to X on Monday to argue that congressional appropriations “should be seen as the spending ceiling, not a floor.”
Russell Vought and Mark Paoletta, who Trump picked for the top jobs at the Office of Management and Budget, have spent years pushing the arguments now embraced by Lee and Clyde.
Impoundment, the idea that presidents don’t have to spend all funds appropriated by Congress, also has the backing from Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, leaders of Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency.” Supporters believe that if given the chance, the Supreme Court will be on their side, too.
Any moves to impound funds will draw the ire of appropriators and other lawmakers. It will also be another test for Republicans to see how much control they’re willing to yield to Trump.
Top Senate GOP appropriator Susan Collins (R-Maine) told us she doesn’t want to see the ICA weakened.
Other Republican appropriators are taking a more cautious approach. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said to ask her again in February, and Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) said he’s just trying to get through 2024.
There’s an argument to be made that presidents shouldn’t have to spend money they feel is being wasted, Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) told us. But the veteran lawmaker added that he wouldn’t take it too far.
“I understand what they’re trying to do,” Simpson said. “Just to go ahead and not spend it because you don’t like that program that Congress has passed, and probably that you’ve signed as a president, I think that gives a little too much power to the presidency.”
