Several Senate Republicans are speaking out against President Donald Trump’s pocket rescission of nearly $5 billion in previously approved funds, with some saying they do not believe his action was lawful and others warning they fear his move could derail bipartisan efforts to pass spending bills and avert a government shutdown later this month.
“Anything that gives our Democrat colleagues a reason not to do the bipartisan appropriations process is not a good thing,” according to Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., The Hill reported on Wednesday. “I do not think this is a good idea, and I think it’s going to give our Democratic colleagues a reason not to work with us.”
Last week, Trump notified Congress that he planned to use the pocket rescission power, which has been used only a few times over the past 50 years, to cancel funding including $3.2 billion from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for development assistance, another $322 million from the agency’s democracy fund, and millions more in State Department contributions to international organizations and separately budgeted aid for peacekeeping.
Senior Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee, also speaking out, said only Congress has constitutional authority over spending.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, deemed Trump’s action as “unlawful,” adding that “any effort to claw back resources outside of the appropriations process undermines [Congressional] responsibility.”
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said it’s up to the courts to determine if the rescission is illegal, but urged the White House to leave cuts up to Congress.
“We do rescissions in our appropriations bills all the time,” she said. “So the appropriations route is my preferred route.”
Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, slammed Trump’s action as a “clear violation of the law,” while Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said he’s concerned about the separation of powers involved and questioned whether Trump should expend political capital with the fight.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., agreed that spending cuts should be pursued through the normal process in Congress, even if many Republicans do support the idea of pulling back State Department and USAID funding.
Rescission debates are not new, however, said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who recalled that President Jimmy Carter attempted a similar step in 1977, which the Government Accountability Office initially endorsed but later reconsidered.
The brewing battle, meanwhile, highlights Republican infighting and jeopardizes passing the bill to keep the government open at the end of the month, Democrats are saying.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., accused Republicans of prioritizing “chaos over governing,” and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the House Democratic Party leader, said his caucus will oppose partisan spending bills and demand inclusion in the drafting process.
“We will not support a partisan spending bill put forward by Republicans that hurts everyday Americans,” he said.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., a senior Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, also insisted that it is important to reject Trump’s rescission plans in order to maintain Congressional authority on spending.
“If we’re going to respect the appropriations process, then the Congress has to hang together to enforce it, and that means when the president goes too far, we’ve got to say no,” Durbin said.
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