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.
New Jersey facilitated roughly $319 million in sports bets in May, nearly $2 million more than Nevada, which has long dominated the sector.
The group’s existence comes amid widespread outrage over the treatment of migrants at the southern border, including deaths of multiple people held in custody, the separation of children from their parents, and reports of inhumane conditions at detention centers.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, July 2, 2019.
The Senator from California who notably took the former VP to task during the Democratic Primary debates, saw a surge in multiple polls raising her profile for the 2020 presidential election.
Markets surged on Monday following the news of a ceasefire in the enduring trade dispute between the U.S. and China.
New Jersey's minimum wage increased to $10-an-hour on Monday, the first raise in a series of hikes meant to bring the rate to $15 by 2024.
President Donald Trump made history on Sunday, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit North Korea. Yet his brief handshake with North Korean leader Chairman Kim Jong-un just across the 38th parallel has been criticised as a media stunt and has drawn the ire of political opponents.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, July 1, 2019.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, June 28, 2019.
President Donald Trump's approach to China came under fire as candidates spoke about how they would approach relations with the country and explained what they believed to be the greatest threat to the United States.
