Republicans in Congress quietly voted for backdoor effort to tie Trump's hands

U.S. President Donald Trump looks on, as he and Apple CEO Tim Cook (not pictured) present Apple's announcement of a $100 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing, in the Oval Office at the White House (REUTERS)

President Donald Trump will now have more difficulty withholding money for federal programs appropriated by Congress, thanks to lawmakers from both parties.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that in the government funding package Congress passed last week (which Trump later signed into law) includes language meant to hamstring Trump's attempts to carry out "pocket rescissions," in which he freezes money meant to be disbursed. Language restricting Trump's use of pocket rescissions made its way into all 11 spending bills the president signed, which will last through September 30 of this year.

According to the Times, Republicans in the Senate were more open to restricting executive action withholding spending than their House counterparts. And some more stringent provisions attempting to rein in Trump didn't get enough votes to make it into the final legislation.

Still, the outlet reported that the language "reflects bipartisan frustration with how the White House has attempted to wrest away Congress’s spending powers." And lawmakers aim to use those bills as ammunition in potential legal battles with the Trump administration should the president attempt to withhold Congressionally appropriated money in the future.

"This marks an important milestone and shows that Congress can work together in a bipartisan manner to carry out our Article I responsibilities and deliver results for the people we are honored to represent," said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who is the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The Trump administration maintains that despite the language in the bills, the White House never agreed to sign anything that would limit its power over spending in any way. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) communications director Rachel Cauley told the Times: "None of our executive authorities to control spending were compromised by these appropriations bills, which was a red line in our discussions with the Hill."

The Trump administration's pattern of routinely withholding money already appropriated by Congress is a violation of the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which Congress passed to assert its authority (under Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution) during former President Richard Nixon's administration. OMB Director Russ Vought insists that law is illegal.

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