WASHINGTON – A top Democrat in Congress is asking the Government’s Accountability Office to begin an investigation into whether the Trump administration violated federal law by freezing funds for several programs.

Pennsylvania Rep. Brendan Boyle and Oregon Sen. Jeff Markley were written by members of the House and Senate Budget Committee. Two-page letter It was sent to the government’s watchdog organization on Monday, and certain actions appear to be in violation of the Water Storage Control Act.

“Funds that are unilaterally locked up are illegal, and Donald Trump and Las Vault are trying to bring a handful of the federal government,” Merkley wrote in a statement in the letter. “GAO has to reach the bottom of this and repeat with the administration that Congress has the power of the wallet, not the Trump or the enemy.”

The Senate Voted along the party line Earlier this year, he has extensive authority over decisions within the administrative department to confirm Vought as Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

A spokesperson for the government’s Accountability Office told the state newsroom that the agency is working through the process and is deciding whether to start an investigation based on the letter.

According to a spokesman, GAO also has ongoing work related to ICA.

OMB Authority

Boyle wrote in a statement that the constitution gives Congress the power to decide when and where the federal government will spend money.

“Withholding of key administration investments will harm American communities that rely on these funds for employment, economic stability and essential infrastructure,” writes Boyle. “Along with the lawsuits, solid Congress oversight is essential to protecting the interests of Americans.”

The Water Storage Management Act, enacted in the 1970s, prohibits the chairman from using the money allocated by the parliament. Vought has repeatedly said that he believes the law is unconstitutional and that the president has this authority.

Several lawsuits have been filed over the Trump administration, choosing not to spend federal money, some of which have prevented cases from filing lawsuits while they pass federal court.

Boyle Merckley’s letter argues the Trump administration has violated the law several times. It includes his first day when he ordered funding for the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Inflation Act.

The pair asked GAO to look into the Trump administration’s decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine for about a week in March, writing, “I am concerned that the suspension may be an illegal reservoir with negative foreign policy and national security implications.”

“The Constitution does not give the President the one-sided authority to withhold funds from its obligations,” Boyle and Merkley wrote in a letter. “Instead, Congress ordered the President to strictly enclosed powers to exempt or withhold budgetary powers only in the limited circumstances expressly provided in the Water Storage Control Act.

“An administrative agency may withhold the amount from the obligation only if it sends a special message to Congress that includes the amount of budgetary authority proposed for withholding and the reason for the proposal (2 USC §683–684).”

What can Gao do?

During the first Trump administration, GAO found the Bureau of Management and Budget Violated the Water Storage Control Act When they stopped aid to Ukraine.

“The faithful enforcement of the law does not allow the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those who have enacted the law,” Gao wrote in the report. “OMB withholded funds for policy reasons not permitted by the Water Storage Management Act (ICA). Withholding was not a programmatic delay. Therefore, we conclude that OMB violated the ICA.”

GAO writes about it Website The ICA states that “the GAO director known as the Secretary will file a lawsuit to file a lawsuit if the president is illegally imposing funds.”

Secretary’s Gene Dodaro He testified before the assembly If an independent agency finds an ICA violation earlier this year, he plans to do just that.

According to the news report, Dodaro said. “I intend to carry out responsibility quickly and thoroughly under the Water Storage Control Act. I need to do it as soon as possible, but our next step is to go to court on our own. If we are shocked and say that the money has not been released in a certain period of time, then we need to go to court.”

Last updated at 3:10pm, March 31, 2025