History On Trump’s Side In Quest To Gut Congress’ Wasteful Spending, Russ Vought Says

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers unhappy with President Donald Trump’s plans to cut spending that Congress approved are ignoring that past presidents have used similar powers, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought said Wednesday.

Vought invoked examples of presidents from George Washington to Richard Nixon to defend Trump’s government spending reform in a Wednesday speech at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington, D.C. The remarks came days after the White House listed congressionally-approved “wasteful” foreign aid that the Trump administration is planning to scale back.

“We would never view that Congress doesn’t have the power of the purse, but the executive has the power to spend,” Vought said.

The last funding cancellation similar to Trump’s, known as a pocket rescissions package, came under former Democratic President Jimmy Carter in 1977. The pocket rescissions package effectively withholds funds until they expire. Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans have argued that the administration’s plans to revoke the funds with or without congressional approval are unlawful