The Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power of the purse, and a 1974 law says a president cannot simply refuse to spend approved funds. In 2025 the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office found the administration broke that law at least six times, including holding back about $8 billion from the National Institutes of Health, plus Head Start and FEMA money. Republican Senator Susan Collins called it unlawful.
SourcesGAO, NIH · GAO, Head Start · GAO, FEMA · Sen. Collins (R)
