“A Huge Grab of Power”: Trump Is Defying Congress on Foreign Aid

‘A huge grab of power’: Trump is defying congress on foreign aid

After the Trump administration upended the world’s largest foreign aid provider last year, terminating thousands of programs and firing nearly all of its staff…

Congress explicitly said 'no' to this Trump order — and he's defying them anyway

After the Trump administration upended the world’s largest foreign aid provider last year, terminating thousands of programs and firing nearly all of its staff, its plan for the agency was clear: Eliminate it entirely.But because it is a congressionally created agency, President Donald Trump needed lawmakers’ permission to do so. So this year, Trump officials asked Congress for permission to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development …

“A Huge Grab of Power”: Trump Is Defying Congress on Foreign Aid

Lawmakers gave specific orders to Trump officials on foreign aid spending, but officials have refused to follow many of them — likely in violation of the law, experts say. In doing so, they’re escalating a constitutional crisis.

'A Huge Grab of Power': Trump Is Defying Congress on Foreign Aid

The Trump administration's deployment of a "pocket rescission" to impound funds appropriated by Congress has drawn legal challenge. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has declared this maneuver illegal, citing violations of the Impoundment Control Act. Legal experts contend such actions risk a constitutional crisis and could impede critical foreign aid efforts in vulnerable nations.