Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)
Maine First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought’s unlawful effort to unilaterally cancel appropriated funding:
“Once again, President Trump—with the help of Project 2025 architect Russ Vought—is attempting to claw back billions of dollars in funding already appropriated by Congress. This so-called ‘pocket rescission’ is illegal, unconstitutional, and a brazen attempt by the president to further consolidate power and usurp the explicit funding authority of Congress.
“The Constitution is clear: This is a flagrant affront to Congress’s power of the purse. The programs and initiatives the president is trying to stop—including $5 billion for biomedical research and disease prevention and $2.5 billion for state and local crime-prevention efforts—had bipartisan support. This president believes that only his priorities matter. It’s wrong, it’s dangerous, and it underscores this administration’s increasingly authoritarian behavior.”
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