House Spending Bill Cedes Purse To President

The continuing resolution (CR) passed by the House on Tuesday (March 11) is a "dirty CR" in that it is not limited to pre-existing appropriations with formulaic modifications. CNN summarizes how both sides view the bill in this article:

What we know about the House GOP government funding bill | CNN Politics

House Republicans are hoping to vote Tuesday on a stopgap bill aimed at funding the federal government through September 30 and preventing a shutdown after Friday.

CNNTami Luhby

House Democrats in their formal response object to several deficiencies in the dirty CR, including cuts of over $15 billion for community projects; allowing the administration to redirect funds from health, environmental, education, and safety programs; and not setting spending priorities for a wide range of issues such as housing, disaster relief, veterans affairs, security, and crime programs.

However, their key objection is that this dirty CR effectively cedes the power of the purse to the executive branch by granting extraordinary control over if and how appropriated funds are spent. They note that prior Presidents have requested this power, including Democrats, and the House has always put guard rails in place – but not this time.

Washing Senator Patty Murray, the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said to CNN:

"This [dirty CR] creates slush funds for the Trump administration to reshape spending priorities, eliminate longstanding programs, pick winners and losers, and more."

Delaware Senator Chris Coons said in his press release:

"The House Republican bill enables Trump’s and Musk’s devastating and unconstitutional cuts that have reduced our government’s ability to protect public health and safety, made it harder for seniors to get their Social Security checks, and created an opening for China by dismantling our foreign aid partnerships...It even prevents congressional oversight of Trump’s disastrous tariffs."

Source tags: Government Executive, CNN, Chris Coons