Interesting.
Also, I agree with Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey. The move is constitutionally suspect, but a brilliant strategy.
Punchbowl News reported that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been “working on ways” to fund programs and pay federal law-enforcement officers during the shutdown.
Trump has already directed tariffs to fund the Women & Infants, and Children Food Program (WIC). He also instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to utilize all available funds to compensate the troops.
Presidents typically have access to some funding, including tariff revenue.
The government has been shut down for two weeks now.
The Treasury Department manages the general fund that holds the tariffs.
According to CNN, the department calls the fund “America’s Checkbook” since the government uses it to “pay some of the government’s pre-existing bills, such as distributing tax refunds.”
Don’t forget that the government used tariffs to fund itself before it added that awful 16th Amendment.
So, can Trump use money in that general fund?
Well..Trump and Congress could pass “a measure designating the tariff revenue for a specific use, like paying employees who are furloughed.”
CNN said neither party wants to do that. I’m shocked the Republicans wouldn’t do it. I believe it would need a simple majority in the Senate to pass, unlike the continuing resolution, which requires 60 votes.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai told CNN: “We don’t need any novel solutions to reduce the blow of the Democrats’ government shutdown — all that needs to happen is the Democrats reopening the government by passing a clean continuing resolution as they’ve done many times before.”
Again, the CR needs 60 Senate votes to pass. The Republicans have a majority, but not enough to pass it. I know Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) won’t vote for it, so eight Democrats need to vote for the CR.
If Trump can pay the military and fund critical programs, then the Democrats will look even worse.
Trump has used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to slap tariffs on numerous countries and items.
Yes, Congress has the purse, but as we’ve seen for years, the legislative branch has given the executive branch way too much power.
If Trump wants to use tariffs, he had better do it now. The Supreme Court will hear arguments that Trump exceeded his authority in ordering those tariffs during the first week of November.
The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit already ruled that most of the tariffs exceeded Trump’s authority under the emergency provisions.
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