CLIMATEWIRE | The Trump administration is working on a new effort to both weaken Congress’ grip on the federal budget and freeze billions of dollars in spending at several government agencies.
The architect behind the move is Russ Vought, who leads the Office of Management and Budget at the White House. Vought has long lamented the limits placed on the president’s ability to direct federal spending. His latest gambit — which has not been reported previously — appears designed to test those boundaries.
His office late last week directed several agencies, including EPA, the Interior and Health and Human Services departments as well as the National Science Foundation, to freeze upward of $30 billion in spending on a broad array of programs, according to both agency emails and two people familiar with the plan.
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POLITICO’s E&E News granted anonymity to the two people so they could speak freely without fear of reprisal from the Trump administration.
OMB’s targets include NSF research and education programs that operate using funding leftover from 2024. Also on the list are tens of millions of dollars for national park operations as well as more than $100 million in science spending at NASA, which includes climate research.
While the president has some measure of control over how federal agencies spend their money, the “power of the purse” lies primarily with Congress under the U.S. Constitution. Put another way: Lawmakers set the budget.
Vought is trying to turn that principle on its head.
The order to freeze some funding at more than a dozen agencies comes in advance of a budget spending deferrals package the White House plans to send Congress. Spending deferrals allow the executive branch to…
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