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.
The settlement forces the Sackler family to give up control of the Stamford, Connecticut-based business, according to the Associated Press, while the company will pay up to $12 billion over time.
Assembly Bill 5, which the state Senate approved on Tuesday, would require employers to treat independent contractors — like Lyft and Uber drivers — as regular employees.
JPMorgan has developed a new index to track the impact that President Trump's tweets have on the market. The so-called Volfefe Index will specifically examine how the president's tweets affect U.S. Treasury yields.
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Powell's optimistic remarks come amid a growing concern by economists, investors, and business leaders that a slowing of the U.S. economy is imminent.
Despite the economy's sustained growth, the jobs added in August were less than the nearly 160,000 expected by analysts. Monthly employment growth so far this year now averages 158,000, which remains well below 223,000 average monthly gains in 2018.
British lawmakers are set to vote again Monday on whether or not to hold a general election next month as the UK continues to wrestle with the looming Brexit deadline.
Ten of the top Democratic candidates for president presented their plans to tackle climate change during a marathon, seven-hour town hall broadcast live on CNN Wednesday.
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