Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Lawmaker warns pocket rescissions would "steal" Congress's power of the purse
Loading...
Summary
During a Senate Committee on Appropriations session, a lawmaker pressed Director Vogt on whether she would pledge not to submit pocket rescissions within 45 days of the fiscal year end; Director Vogt declined to make the commitment and the lawmaker called the tactic unconstitutional.
During a session of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, a lawmaker pressed Director Vogt on whether she would pledge not to submit pocket rescissions within 45 days of the end of the fiscal year. Director Vogt responded, "I'm not making that commitment," and said no decision had been made about any additional rescissions package or its timing.
The lawmaker characterized the tactics described — "delays and freezing and impoundments and slow walking contracts and rescissions, partisan rescissions, pocket rescissions at the end of the fiscal year" — as "part of an unconstitutional plan to steal the power of the purse from congress and put it in the power of the president." The lawmaker said colleagues should consider that framing when evaluating such budgetary strategies.
The speaker also referenced a statement attributed to "Mister Vos," saying he had told the speaker he strongly believed the (transcript: "Empowerment") Control Act of 1974 was unconstitutional. The lawmaker added that the U.S. Supreme Court has "already ruled twice on the question of whether or not the power of the purse resides with Congress," using those rulings to support the argument that end-of-year rescissions could improperly shift congressional funding authority.
No formal vote or action on rescissions was recorded in the exchange. The interjection served as a point of oversight and constitutional concern rather than a motion or binding decision. The committee did not announce a next step on the matter during the recorded segments.
