But that’s never been entirely true; as the Los Angeles Times reported last month, Ukraine still hadn’t received more than $20 million of the military aid. Thursday morning, the Government Accountability Office made it official: The administration violated federal law by freezing the security aid Congress had appropriated for Ukraine. “When Congress enacts appropriations, it has provided budget authority that agencies must obligate in a manner consistent with law,” the GAO report notes, adding, “The Constitution vests lawmaking power with the Congress.”Well, duh. AdvertisementThe report by the GAO, the nonpartisan congressional agency that’s an all-purpose government watchdog, explains why that’s just not true. If the president seeks to delay or rescind spending, the report states, the law requires him to notify Congress.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 16, 2020 16:52 UTC