House GOP allies of President-elect Donald Trump are advocating for increased control over Congress’ annual government spending process next year.
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., is set to introduce a bill on Monday aimed at repealing a measure that currently requires the president to instruct the federal government to spend the full amount allocated by Congress each year.
Clyde informed Fox News Digital that he intends to introduce the bill in the upcoming Congress, where Republicans will have control over the House, Senate, and White House. He mentioned that the topic is already being discussed within Trump’s inner circle.
“That was a topic of discussion with Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk during their recent visit to Capitol Hill to discuss the Department of Government Efficiency,” Clyde stated.
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Some Republicans want to give President-elect Donald Trump more say over the Congressional appropriations process. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
“They’re supportive of it because how can you be efficient without the ability to reduce spending? It’s simply not feasible,” Clyde explained.
Clyde also mentioned that incoming Trump Office Of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought is in favor of this proposal.
The Impoundment Control Act of 1974, enacted during the Nixon administration, was designed to prevent the president from unilaterally dictating government spending.
Currently, presidential approval is required to rescind any allocated funding for a given year. The funds in question can be withheld for up to 45 days while the request is processed.
“I believe it’s crucial for the president to have this authority,” Clyde emphasized. “Since the introduction of that act by Congress, we’ve seen a significant increase in spending, which is not beneficial for our country.”
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Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., is leading the charge to repeal the Impoundment Control Act. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Clyde’s bill aims to revoke the Impoundment Control Act, with a corresponding bill introduced in the Senate by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.
Clyde mentioned the support of over a dozen House Republicans for his bill.
Musk and Ramaswamy advocated for greater presidential authority to rescind funding in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal, following their appointment by the president-elect to lead an advisory panel on reducing government waste.
The Georgia Republican acknowledged the challenging prospects for the bill in the current Democrat-controlled Senate, with just one week remaining in the congressional term, but confirmed his intention to introduce it in the next Congress.
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Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, is against the idea. (Getty Images)
He described the bill’s introduction on Monday as “marking a position, stating that the president should have the authority to use this power unimpeded, and we are here to support that.”
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However, the issue is likely to divide along party lines. Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, responded to Musk and Ramaswamy’s op-ed by criticizing their proposals as “idiotic and dangerous.”
“Unilaterally cutting funds that have been legally allocated by the Congress would be a harmful power grab undermining the economy and risking families and communities,” stated Boyle.
