As Congress slogs through the process of adopting the so-called big, beautiful bill that would extend President Donald Trump’s tax cuts, action to codify cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency is being delayed.
Given the headwinds facing the budget bill, which lost a vote last week in a reflection of the differences within the Republican Party, action to make DOGE’s $9 billion in cuts permanent could be put off for another year, according to Politico.
“The focus right now is the reconciliation bill,” according to a White House official Politico did not name.
“I think there’s an appetite within Capitol Hill, within the two years that we have to codify the work of DOGE. The procedures of Capitol Hill may not allow for it to happen now, but it doesn’t mean it won’t happen later,” the official said.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said, “I think they don’t want to lose the vote, so I think they may be concerned about the sensibility.”
“I think they probably want to challenge the Impoundment Act is my sense,” Hawley said.
The Impoundment Control Act is a 1974 law that limits the ability of a president to refuse to spend money appropriated by Congress, which has the Constitutional power of the purse.
“Obviously, we have never taken impoundment off the table, because the president and myself believe that 200 years of the president and executive branch had that ability,” an OMB official has said.
The White House official, asked about challenging the 1974 law, said, “All options are on the table.”
Will DOGE’s cuts be codified by Congress?
“We’ve been able to achieve what we’ve been able to achieve without going down that path but that’s not to say we wouldn’t consider using it if the situation called for it,” the official said.
Using that tactic would mean a fight with Congress.
“I’ve got a real problem with impoundment,” Republican Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho said, according to Politico.
“That’s like a line-item veto, and I think it’s illegal,” Simpson said. “That will be a challenge, for sure.”
A collision between the White House and Congress has been hinted at by Russell Vought, Trump’s budget director, who has said Trump believes the 1974 law is unconstitutional, according to The New York Times.
“The president ran on the notion that the Impoundment Control Act is unconstitutional,” Vought said during his confirmation. “I agree with that.”
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said the real issue is making deeper cuts, calling the $9 billion package “a pittance,” according to Politico.
“It’s a rounding error and it should only be the beginning. If they’re not going to send us the $9 billion, it sends a really bad signal to anybody that is fiscally responsible that there’s going to be no change from doing things the way that they’ve always been done,” he said.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
