power of the purse

They’re so large they’re unlikely to happen, and they raise serious questions about American governance and the power of the purse.

The decision to reprogram those funds without congressional approval has raised alarms, even among Republican lawmakers, that the administration has exploited this standoff to further usurp congressional power of the purse.

The result was a significant erosion of Congress’ “power of the purse,” which has historically included not only approving money but also monitoring how it was spent.

That is Article I, Section 9—the bedrock of Congress’s power of the purse.

The power of the purse doesn’t belong to presidents.