Even if the DHS budget gets slashed, what would stop His Orangeness to just transfer funds from elsewhere*? Iirc he already does so in other places** and SCOTUS has essentially said that nothing can be done about it
“Defense” will get its usual boost, so it’s not as if there is no money available.
and refuses to spend funds Congress has specified for use.
Historically the President can't repurpose funds except under very specific conditions that Congress has put into statute. So far, Trump's minions have been careful to at least make a case that such repurposings meet one of Congress' conditions. Depressing thought -- if the Dems retake Congress this year, it seems possible that sometime in the next two years the SCOTUS will actually say that Congress can't specify purposes for their appropriations.
Trump's proposed budget gives Defense a 50% boost, from a bit under a trillion dollars to a trillion-and-a-half. Battleships ain't cheap, you know. In point of fact, the Pentagon has no idea how to spend a trillion-and-a-half dollars per year; it will take them at least a few years to ramp up to that.
Impoundment was settled in the 1970s while Nixon was in office. The SCOTUS will probably revisit the subject. I expect them to rule that it's a political matter and deny that anyone has standing to bring the case.
Even if the DHS budget gets slashed, what would stop His Orangeness to just transfer funds from elsewhere*? Iirc he already does so in other places** and SCOTUS has essentially said that nothing can be done about it
“Defense” will get its usual boost, so it’s not as if there is no money available.
and refuses to spend funds Congress has specified for use.
Historically the President can't repurpose funds except under very specific conditions that Congress has put into statute. So far, Trump's minions have been careful to at least make a case that such repurposings meet one of Congress' conditions. Depressing thought -- if the Dems retake Congress this year, it seems possible that sometime in the next two years the SCOTUS will actually say that Congress can't specify purposes for their appropriations.
Trump's proposed budget gives Defense a 50% boost, from a bit under a trillion dollars to a trillion-and-a-half. Battleships ain't cheap, you know. In point of fact, the Pentagon has no idea how to spend a trillion-and-a-half dollars per year; it will take them at least a few years to ramp up to that.
Impoundment was settled in the 1970s while Nixon was in office. The SCOTUS will probably revisit the subject. I expect them to rule that it's a political matter and deny that anyone has standing to bring the case.