President Donald Trump once again scored a big appellate court victory, shutting down the political enemies who have been throwing everything at him but the kitchen sink in order to prevent him from ending foreign aid grants. The court ruled that only the legislative branch can file a lawsuit against a presidential administration for making changes to congressionally approved budgets.
The court's latest decision gives the Trump administration the power to say "no way" to spending budgeted funds. It also makes it more difficult for outside entities that aren't involved in contracts with the federal government to issue challenges against the president's decisions, despite Congress holding the power of the purse.
President Trump now has the authority to continue tossing foreign aid grants into the trash bin, which was all part of the initiative of the Department of Government Efficiency, which the president's former ally, Elon Musk, headed up. Much of the aid going to foreign nations has been set aside for strange projects, many of which never got off the ground. Waste spending at its finest.
"The US DC Circuit Court of Appeals panel, voting 2-1, interpreted the law around the Impoundment Control Act, which regulates the action of a president to delay or withhold funding that has been already appropriated by Congress in the federal budget," CNN reported on the court's ruling.
In the lawsuit filed against the Trump administration, grant recipients sued for close to $4 billion for global health and over $6 billion for HIV/AIDS programs. Congress appropriated the funding, which the State Department was going to disburse alongside USAID.
Circuit Judge Karen Henderson wrote in the opinion that "the record is simply less developed" on how long those receiving grants would be able to survive if they were not allowed to compete for foreign aid grants in the future.
And before you think these individuals are just going to accept this decision and move on with their lives, Lauren Bateman of Public Citizen Litigation Group informed the press on Wednesday following the ruling that her organization would "seek further review from the court."
“In the meantime, countless people will suffer disease, starvation, and death from the Administration’s unconscionable decision to withhold life-saving aid from the world’s most vulnerable people,” Bateman, who clearly has a flair for the dramatic, continued.
No, it seems the administration's legal concerns on this issue are not over. In fact, the court also stated that only the Comptroller General, which is part of the legislative branch as it exists within the Government Accountability Office, can file a lawsuit against the executive branch for alleged impoundment.
“Here, the (Impoundment Control Act) created a complex scheme of notification of the Congress, congressional action on a proposed rescission or deferral and suit by a specified legislative branch official if the executive branch violates its statutory expenditure obligations,” Henderson, a Reagan appointee, stated later on in the opinion. “It does not make sense that the Congress would craft a complex scheme of interbranch dialogue but sub silentio also provide a backdoor for citizen suits at any time and without notice to the Congress of the alleged violation.”
Help PJ Media continue to tell the truth about the Trump administration's victories as we keep ushering America's new Golden Age. Join PJ Media VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.