Trump moves to permanently cancel funding in rare move around Congress

By Bo Erickson

Washington (Reuters) -This President Donald Trump unilaterally canceled $ 4.9 billion in federal financing authorized by the Congress and increased the struggle that controls the country’s expenditures.

In a letter published late on Thursday, Trump said that he plans to provide funds for 15 international programs, including the International Development Agency (USAID), the President of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, President of the House of Representatives.

The US Constitution gives financing power to Congress, which has to make legislation to finance government operations every year.

If the White House does not want to spend this money, it should secure the approval of the Congress. The Congress did this in July when he canceled the foreign aid of $ 9 billion and the public media financing.

Trump Budget Director Russell Vought argued that Trump does not need the approval of the Congress and could hide the funds for 45 days, which would consume the time until the end of the financial year on September 30th. Project democracy, a non -Partisan advocacy group, said that it has not been used since 1983.

Democrats say the administration has provided more than $ 425 billion funds and says that some Republicans are illegal.

Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, in his interview in July, “the power of the bag with us and we must take it seriously.” He said.

However, other Republicans, such as Johnson, said they supported expenditure cuts any way.

It is not clear whether more Republican will object to.

(Reporting by Bo Erickson; Organization by Andy Sullivan and Franklin Paul)