WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government's watchdog agency said Thursday a White House office violated federal law in withholding security assistance to Ukraine.
The Government Accountability Office said in a report that the Office of Management and Budget violated the law in holding up the aid. The freeze is at the center of the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
The independent agency, which reports to Congress, said OMB violated the Impoundment Control Act in delaying the security assistance Congress authorized for Ukraine for “policy reasons,” rather than technical budgetary needs.
“Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law,” wrote the agency's general counsel, Thomas Armstrong, in the report.
OMB has argued the hold was appropriate and necessary.
“We disagree with GAO's opinion. OMB uses its apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the President's priorities and with the law," said OMB spokeswoman Rachel Semmel.
Trump was impeached last month on charges of abusing his power for pressuring Ukraine to investigate Democratic rivals, as he was withholding the aid, and for obstructing Congress' ensuing probe. The Senate is set to begin its trial on Thursday.
In the plan called "A Welcoming and Safe America for All," Sanders said he will use executive action if Congress does not enact the "commonsense immigration reforms supported by the vast majority of Americans."
The Family Friendly Schools Act introduced by Sen. Harris (D-Calif.) would create a pilot program to provide schools the resources needed to stay open until 6 p.m. and provide additional care on many days that schools are otherwise closed.
The ordinance, which passed with roughly 70 percent of votes, puts limitations on the number of short-term rental units in residential buildings and mandates safety inspections and an array of other compliance measures.
While estimates vary, the IPO is expected to value Saudi Aramco at roughly $1.5 trillion, making it the most profitable company in the world. Shares are expected to begin trading on the Tadawul, the stock exchange in Riyadh, in the coming months.
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In its monthly jobs report released Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) also reported that unemployment last month remained largely unchanged at 3.6 percent or 5.9 million people.
The leaders of both nations were set to ink the so-called "phase one" trade agreement at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Chile next month. However, the summit was canceled due to civil unrest in Santiago, Chile's capital.
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