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Speakers in brief remarks say executive is canceling programs, cite $20 billion project cut and warn of threats to congressional power
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Summary
In short remarks, two unidentified speakers said the executive is permanently terminating programs affecting "thousands" and "billions of dollars," cited a $20 billion project tied to Schumer as cut, and warned that unilateral cancellations amount to an unlawful line-item veto that undermines Congress.
Unidentified Speaker 2 said during brief remarks that programs negotiated previously are being terminated and described the change as permanent, affecting "thousands of people" and involving "billions of dollars." "We're cutting a $20,000,000,000 project that Schumer fought for 15 years to get, and I'm cutting the project," the speaker said.
Unidentified Speaker 2 framed the actions as targeted at one party, saying, "So we're closing up programs that are Democrat programs. We're not closing up Republican programs." The remarks did not include identifying information about the speakers' offices or the venue where the statements were made.
Unidentified Speaker 1 responded by warning that the unilateral cancellations represented a broader constitutional problem. "I'm shutting them down," the speaker said, adding that such a practice illustrates "authoritarianism" and warning that it replaces Congress's budget authority with executive control. "That's essentially line item veto, illegal under our constitution, taking the power of the purse out of congress, handing it over to the executive," the speaker said.
Speaker 1 contrasted the two approaches to public spending: in a democracy, according to the remark, "a congress with people representing all parts of the country get together and say, these are the programs important to the country. Here's how we're going to fund them. Here's how they're gonna be run." By contrast, the speaker said, a "strong man" unilaterally decides which programs remain.
The remarks concluded with a call to raise alarms and preserve democratic checks and balances: "We have to stop it and save our republic." The transcript provided no additional details about which specific programs beyond the referenced $20 billion project would be cut, no attribution of the speakers to public offices, and no formal motions or votes were recorded in the provided excerpt.
Next steps: the excerpt does not describe any formal action, hearing, or vote, and it does not specify which programs beyond the $20 billion example would be affected or by what legal authority the cancellations are being implemented.
