While polling has tightened since President Joe Biden exited the race, a second term for former President Donald Trump remains a distinct possibility, setting the stage for perhaps the biggest confrontation with Congress over the power of the purse since the Nixon administration.
Trump hasn’t been shy about his affinity for “impoundments,” a practice Congress clamped down on in a landmark 1974 law that the former president and his aides believe is unconstitutional. The basic idea is simple: Refuse to spend money that’s been appropriated, or in some cases, redistribute it to places Congress didn’t intend.
The ex-president during his Republican National Convention speech referenced his first-term decision to redirect some $10 billion in military funds toward his southern border wall project after lawmakers largely wouldn’t go along.
