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.
Presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard joined families of 9/11 victims and first responders Tuesday as she called on the Trump administration and the FBI to release documents that she said could implicate Saudi Arabia for its role in the attacks.
In mid-September, the White House revoked a waiver that allows California to implement stricter emission standards than what the federal government puts forward under the Clean Air Act.
Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan stated official quarterly GDP figures would be released Thursday, but that preliminary analysis shows consecutive economic contractions.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, October 28, 2019.
The U.S. Education Department was also ordered to pay $100,000 in damages.
The governor on Tuesday called on the state's attorney general to investigate why drivers in the Golden State are being forced to shell out $1.50 more than the average U.S. driver.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, October 23, 2019.
Ohio nearly purged over 200,000 of active voters from polls and one in five people on that list should not have been there. Jen Miller, Director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio joins Cheddar via phone to discuss how she is fighting to prove the state of Ohio was wrong to remove some of those people on the list.
Despite an array of challenges, advocates, enthusiasts, and cannabis industry stakeholders felt Canada's great cannabis experiment had mostly worked.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, October 18, 2019.
