"The memo argues the failure to pay troops is an emergency because, as Trump said in an Oct. 15 order, it "presents a serious and unacceptable threat to military readiness and the ability of our Armed Forces to protect and defend our Nation." Armed with that justification, OMB claims, Trump can move money around, specifically by raiding "The Research, Development, Test and Evaluation" fund."
"The memo is the latest in a slew of what one official called "creative" ideas by OMB Director Russ Vought to keep the government running that are preferable to Trump and squeeze Democrats. OMB has argued that as many as 750,000 furlough federal workers aren't automatically guaranteed backpay. It has moved forward with firing federal workers during the shutdown, even as a judge has tried to block shutdown layoffs. And it's withholding billions of dollars of projects in areas with heavy concentrations of Democrats."
The government has been shut down since Oct. 1 after Senate Democrats refused to back a no-strings-attached funding measure and demanded permanent extension of subsidies for some Affordable Care Act enrollees. The shutdown has accelerated executive-branch efforts to expand power while Congress remains gridlocked. The White House Office of Management and Budget asserts that failing to pay troops constitutes an emergency, citing an Oct. 15 order, and claims authority to reallocate Research, Development, Test and Evaluation funds to cover military pay. OMB Director Russ Vought has advanced creative measures, including denying automatic backpay to furloughed workers, moving to fire federal employees, and withholding billions in projects in Democratic areas.
Read at Axios
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