Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) are coming together to challenge President Donald Trump’s decision to withhold emergency funding that Congress approved earlier this month.
Collins, the head of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, and Murray, the top Democrat on the committee, sent a letter to Trump’s budget director, Russell Vought, expressing their concerns. The senators argue that the president does not have the authority to pick and choose which parts of emergency spending to approve. Instead, they insist that the law requires the president to agree to all or none of the emergency funds Congress has authorized.
In their letter, Collins and Murray emphasize that the provision in the recent funding bill clearly states the president must concur with all emergency designations made by Congress. “Just as the President does not have a line-item veto, he does not have the ability to pick and choose which emergency spending to designate,” they wrote. “This interpretation is consistent with congressional intent and is the most logical and consistent reading of the law.”
The administration has announced it will approve only 16 emergency appropriations in line with the new funding bill, but it is withholding the remaining 11 appropriations, which total nearly $3 billion. According to the administration, some of these funds were improperly designated as emergency spending and are not necessary for emergencies.
This situation involves a 2023 deal between President Biden and Republican leaders to suspend the debt ceiling. The agreement included limits on both defense and non-defense spending, but it also allowed for additional funding to protect domestic programs. Many Republicans, including some who support Trump’s decision, argue that Congress has used emergency designations to spend more money than necessary.
However, Collins and Murray stress that the law must be followed as written, regardless of opinions on the underlying 2023 deal. They also point out that if the administration disagreed with certain funding designations, it could have requested changes before the bill was passed. Instead, they argue, the administration’s piecemeal approach could lead to confusion and disrupt the appropriations process moving forward.
The senators are also concerned about the administration’s sudden shift in interpreting longstanding statutory provisions, which they fear could make it harder to work collaboratively on future funding decisions. They also criticized the administration for informing them of these changes through the media rather than official channels.
This latest move by the Trump administration to block certain funding authorized by Congress has raised concerns among lawmakers from both parties. It adds to ongoing legal challenges over previous efforts to freeze Congress-approved funding, highlighting continued tension between the executive branch and Congress over the control of federal spending.
