Policy wonk, lawyer and baking enthusiast. Views expressed here are solely my own and do not represent those of any employer. RT not endorsement.

Washington, DC
Joined October 2008
On Sept. 19th, OMB gave Customs and Border Protection $20 million. On Sept. 20th, CBP awarded an ad company a contract for $20 million for a “national media campaign.” On Sept. 23rd, Trump ads start running on national tv as "paid for by U.S. government" washingtonsun.com/whitehouse…
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There is one way this pocket rescission is different that folks aren’t talking about yet- OMB officials who prepped it may face personal liability under Sec 739 of Financial Services & General Gov’t Approps Act as @DavidASuper1 and I explained thehill.com/opinion/congress…
FRIDAY NIGHT POCKET RESCISSION Trump declares $1B canceled in ‘pocket rescission’ marking another affront to Congress’ power of the purse Senate Approps Chair Susan Collins is big mad, calling it "a clear violation of the law" w/ @JAscholtes politico.com/news/2026/09/25…
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As @SenatorCollins mentions, this OMB stands alone in intepreting the law the way they have - not only against GAO but also former OMB staff from Democratic and Republican Administrations, non-partisan law professors expert in appropriations, & the history of the law itself.
Without warning or consultation, Congress just received an $810 million package of pocket rescissions from the Administration.  This is the most recent attempt by this Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to undermine Congress’s Constitutional power of the purse.    This move shows that OMB intentionally withheld these funds for months to execute this unlawful cancellation of appropriations that were approved on a bipartisan basis and signed into law.     Not only is the delay itself an impoundment that was not reported to Congress, but also it is a usurpation of Congress’s appropriations powers.  OMB is an agency of the executive branch.  It does not get to decide which programs are worth funding.   The independent Government Accountability Office has concluded that pocket rescissions are unlawful and not permitted by the Impoundment Control Act. Any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law.   I will work with my colleagues to address these illegal actions.
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
Senator Collins voted to confirm OMB Director Vought, despite Vought’s known support for the President’s efforts to impound Congressionally-approved funds. thehill.com/homenews/senat… thehill.com/homenews/senat…
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Sen. Ervin made clear that in enacting the ICA, Congress intended the law to apply to “any action by the executive branch ... inconsistent with achieving the full scope, intent, and objectives of Congress in enacting that appropriation.” protectdemocracy.org/wp-cont…
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This looks like a violation of the publicity and propaganda provision of appropriations law.
So I was just watching Fox News and this commercial played during Jesse Watters show. It says “Paid for by the US Government.” This is clearly a campaign ad. And the singers are just singing over and over again, “Love me” - over images of Trump. @CBSMiami @CBSNews
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Folks who use Community Development Financial Institution funds to support small businesses, affordable housing, farmers and more have been waiting for OMB to finally release the money Congress provided for FY 2026-- and here it is just 196 days late. openomb.org/file/11558338
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OMB has been so bad at meeting apportionment deadlines for programs like this one that the White House opposes that even if this release of funding had been for FY2027 -- which is what Treasury needs to actually spend the money -- it would still be late!
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This apportionment is the kind of action that could create personal liability for the OMB official that signed off on it - violating Section 739 of the FSGG Act by implementing a proposed cut Congress rejected Hope that PAD has insurance, I guess. thehill.com/opinion/congress…
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Well it only took them like 190 days past the statutory deadline and 15 tries but OMB has finally apportioned the Program Administration funds they’ve been holding back for the Dept of Ed. openomb.org/file/11556058
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I’m sure the folks at Ed will definitely have all the time they need to responsibly and effectively spend the $43 million OMB unlawfully withheld in the *checks calendar* 16 whole days they have left to spend this money…
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There’s a really clear way for President Trump to get his name slapped on these federally funded buildings- and it’s the same way everything else gets named- he can ask Congress to pass a law doing it.
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People are always complaining about how many bills Congress passes naming post offices. Is it really so hard to understand you also need to pass bills to slap someone’s name on iconic buildings like this?
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I think if more people understood apportionments, news like this would be treated like the scandal it is -- OMB waiting until 19 days before it expires to make hundreds of millions of dollars available for spending. The deadline for OMB to act was March openomb.org/file/11555356
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And every time I see an apportionment this late I think about the poor program staff at the agency on the receiving end cramming in months or even a years worth of work to two weeks just because OMB, what? Didn't like the program so decided to jam the agency?
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At what point does this kind of gross mismanagement of federal funds -- that is PUBLIC and BRAZEN -- get recognized as what it is? OMB deliberately screwing around with funds management for programs they don't like, so that they have an easier time of advocating against them.
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