Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought has been undermining Congress and its constitutional power of the purse since President Donald Trump came back to office last year.
While congressional Republicans have done a lot to help erode Congress’ power as a check on the executive branch during Trump II, Vought has made their authority-ceding easy.
Under the leadership of Vought, the OMB and the Trump administration have lawlessly impounded federal funds approved by Congress — according to several decisions from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The Trump White House also managed to make congressional Republicans authorize a constitutionally backwards rescissions package last year and also attempted to squeeze through an illegal pockets rescissions package.
Wednesday was the first time, since his confirmation hearing, that Vought was up on Capitol Hill to testify in front of a committee. During a House Budget Committee hearing on the president’s budget request for the upcoming fiscal year, Vought made it clear his fundamentally backwards beliefs about the powers the executive branch has over congressionally appropriated money have not changed one bit.
During his testimony, Vought proudly said he “believes in impoundments” — which are illegal.
When asked if he agrees that “the Constitution clearly gives Congress the power of the purse,” Vought responded: “To set the limit on what an appropriation should be …. We believe vitally in the Constitution’s ability to make sure that we can’t spend $1 that you haven’t appropriated.”
In plain speak, that’s Vought laying out his belief that the money Congress appropriates each year is to set a topline limit. Meaning, as long as the president does not spend more than what has been appropriated by Congress, he is within his right to refuse to spend any amount of money appropriated. Which is what the Trump administration has done over and over again since 2025.
Vought also previously made it clear he believes it is unconstitutional for a law to prohibit the president from impounding funds.
But experts tell TPM the president has to spend all the money the way it is signed into law in an appropriations bill — and that Vought’s claim that the president has the unilateral constitutional authority to ignore spending laws is incorrect.
In fact, if the president decides he does not want to spend some of the money that was already appropriated by Congress, he has to get permission from Congress to do so via a rescissions package or a deferral request.
Vought is scheduled to testify in front of the Senate Budget Committee Thursday morning, where Senate Democrats will likely question him more on impoundments and the Trump administration’s lawlessness. More on that tomorrow.
— Emine Yücel
‘Partisan’ = You Don’t Agree with the Trump Admin
During today’s hearing, Vought also made his disdain for the Government Accountability Office — the nonpartisan legislative branch agency tasked, in part, with determining if the executive branch and the president are impounding funds in violation of the Impoundment Control Act (ICA) — very clear.
“GAO is typically wrong. They’re very partisan. They are typically on the exact opposite of wherever the Trump administration is,” Vought said on Wednesday in response to a question around the GAO’s findings that the Trump administration illegally withheld funds.
“Unfortunately, I know you all look to them,” Vought continued. “They are a branch of the legislative body. We have a very different view with regard to the merit of their opinions.”
Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA), who asked the question about GAO’s findings and if Vought disputes them, pushed back.
“I understand that the GAO is part of the government you don’t like — we don’t get to decide what parts of the government we follow. We don’t,” Peters said. “We have laws that are there for a reason, and I guess we should expect that you would abide by those procedures. But you know, whether it’s tariffs, or the war, or the way you’ve manipulated the budget … the administration just does not want to deal with Congress.”
— Emine Yücel
Thune Wants DOJ to ‘Wrap Up’ Its Powell Probe
Just hours after Trump threatened to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell during a Fox Business interview, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) urged the president to wrap up his Justice Department’s sham criminal investigation into Powell and the Fed.
“I think it’s in everybody’s best interest to wrap up the investigation,” Thune reportedly said on Wednesday. “I’ve said that before, it would be better if it winds down.”
It’s a rare show of pushback against the Trump administration for Thune.
And Thune’s comments come as the Trump administration appears to be doing anything but wrapping up and winding down its weaponized investigation purportedly over the cost and scope of renovations on a Federal Reserve building. On Tuesday, two federal prosecutors in U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro’s office were turned away during a pop-up visit to that building’s construction site — in what appears to be a performative stunt designed to help Pirro demonstrate how hard she is working to carry out Trump’s retribution.
All this attempted political overlording has only hurt Trump and his goals to manipulate the Fed into lowering interest rates. Powell’s term is supposed to end on May 15 and Trump nominated a replacement who seems to have enough Republican support to be confirmed, except… Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who has lauded Trump’s nominee, Kevin Warsh, as qualified, has repeatedly vowed to block any Federal Reserve nominee until the investigation into Powell is over.
“I think at some point they’re going to have to deal with the committee and they’re going to have to deal with Tillis,” Thune said Wednesday.
In the meantime, Powell said he will stay on as chair until his replacement is confirmed and went so far as to say he hasn’t decided whether he’ll stay on as a governor through 2028, which would be rare. It’s unclear — and unlikely — that Trump has the legal jurisdiction to fire Powell. He was blocked from removing Fed Governor Lisa Cook and her case wound its way up to the Supreme Court, which is expected to issue a decision on the matter before the end of this term.
— Layla A. Jones
Mike Johnson Made Him Delete It
The details dripping out about the AI Jesus painting of Trump continue to be amusing.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was reportedly among the close allies who advised Trump to take down the image he posted on Truth Social, a fake painting that depicted him healing people, as Jesus Christ.
“I did ask him to delete it,” Johnson told reporters on Tuesday.
He did not elaborate beyond that, but Politico has the details. Apparently other members of Congress were among those who called Johnson telling him to talk to the president about taking it down:
Johnson, a devout Christian, and members of his GOP leadership circle, which includes several Catholics, immediately received phone calls from lawmakers, constituents and church groups incensed about the post, according to three people granted anonymity to share private conversations.
It’s unclear who in the Republican conference called Johnson angry about the post. One of the few Republicans still in Congress who is willing to publicly break with Trump — both on the topic of sacrilegious Truth Social posts, as well as other issues, like Trump’s war in Iran and the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files — is Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH). After Trump posted the image, Davidson subtweeted Trump with Revelations 2:5, a Bible verse that urges repentence for one’s sins lol. He later doubled down, calling Trump’s post “very troubling.”
— Nicole LaFond
In Case You Missed It
Two new pieces in TPM Cafe: First, Streamers Set the GOP Agenda. Now They’re Taking Over the Party Itself.
And: The Trump White House Is Very Upset About States That Won’t Do Its Dirty Work
Morning Memo: A Historically Bad Day for the Rule of Law in America
Josh Marshall: As Trump Rants About Birds and Wind Turbines, the World Passes the US By
Yesterday’s Most Read Story
How a Texas City Became the Far Right’s Next Example of the Great Replacement Theory
What We Are Reading
House opposes Trump on immigration with move to help Haitians
Longtime Immigration Court Interpreter Arrested by ICE at South Texas Airport
Maybe Congress should close the wallet and let the Presidency figure out
who controls the money. Trump is under the impression that Congress is Fred Trump.
The headline lost me at “Vought Still Thinks…”
Russell Vought is perhaps the real long-term danger in this regime. Or, maybe it’s Stephen Miller. Or, could it be Todd Blanche? Or…oh screw it; It’s John Roberts.
Trump, given his stupidity, lack of focus or curiosity, instability, and laziness, is the puppet, whereas Vought is but one of the puppet masters. In other words, Trump is the monkey at the whim of the organ grinder(s).
Speaking of Trump’s instability, he told Fox earlier today that the war is over, but now comes word that he’s sending another 10,000 troops to the region. Why? No one knows except whichever of the many screaming voices in his head he listens to from moment to moment. This morning the war is over; this afternoon we need a huge increase in troops — I bet he’s sending them there to open the Straight because he forgot that he’s the one closing it.
Before the week is out, he’ll probably have our own Marines fighting our own navy for control of the Straight.