Washington (Monitoring Desk): Seven US states, including California, have approached a federal court against the Trump administration, challenging the withholding of approximately $810 million in funds approved by Congress.
The states maintain that the administration refrained from releasing the funds allocated with congressional approval and attempted to cancel them before the end of the fiscal year. For this purpose, a method known as “pocket rescission” was used, which creates the possibility of the funds expiring before Congress can make a decision.
The petition, filed under the leadership of California Attorney General Rob Bonta, argues that the federal government’s action violates constitutional provisions concerning the separation of powers and Congress’s authority over government spending.
The White House says that the programs for which the funds were allocated supported policies related to illegal immigration, racial tensions, and the environment that the administration considers inappropriate.
The lawsuit has been filed in the federal court for the Northern District of California, where a legal dispute will be heard concerning the president’s authority over federal spending and the limits of Congress’s fiscal powers.