Since President Donald Trump reentered the White House in January, his administration has, in part, been defined by its blatant effort to seize power from the legislative branch.
That’s come in the form of freezing, withholding and in some cases — as the watchdog Government Accountability Office (GAO) declared — illegally impounding congressionally approved funds. The White House even pushed a constitutionally backwards rescissions package — a maneuver they used to force Congress to swallow Department of Government Efficiency funding cuts that the administration had already lawlessly frozen — through Congress in July. And the Office of Management and Budget has indicated they are considering pushing for so-called pocket rescissions to claw back even more funds that lawmakers have already authorized.
Experts tell TPM, all of these moves signal a significant shift in the relationship between the executive branch and the legislative branch — that may have impacts beyond the second Trump administration.
