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.
Speaking at Georgetown University, Zuckerberg said he recognized that the U.S. and nations worldwide are facing concerning social tensions but warned against the impulse to restrict free speech online.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, October 17, 2019.
Without mentioning President Donald Trump — by far the most high-profile and contentious leader on Twitter — the company added that tweets with a "clear public interest" would not be removed.
Retail sales for September came out Wednesday morning, showing the first decline in seven months. It was the first decline since February of this year.
These are the headlines you Need to know for Wednesday, October 16, 2019.
The Swamp Bus is the brainchild of the Progressive Change Institute and Revolving Door Project, a two-hour guided bus tour through Washington, DC to see the town's most blatant locations tied to corruption.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has topped several recent polls, found herself on the defense during the fourth Democratic presidential debate Tuesday night, as she was forced to defend a number of her progressive policy positions.
The former Republican Congressman from South Carolina so far hasn't pressed his former Capitol Hill colleagues to call for articles of impeachment. Rather, Sanford brought up the idea of "censure" instead.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, October 11, 2019.
