Democrat President Joe Biden is reportedly “under investigation” for halting billions of dollars in payments that were set to go out to companies that were tasked with finishing President Donald Trump’s southern border wall.
“Now the Government Accountability Office is launching a review to determine whether the new president broke the law by freezing the money in violation of budget rules designed to keep Congress in control of the cash flow,” Politico reported. “The probe highlights the challenge presidents have historically faced in fulfilling campaign promises that require money to be spent — or suspended — at odds with Congress’ intent.”
The report comes as Biden’s border crisis has overwhelmed the U.S.-Mexico border, promoting backlash against Biden from Republicans, Democrats, and even the president of Mexico.
Forty Senate Republicans said in a letter to the Government Accountability Office that in “the weeks that followed” Biden suspending construction of the border wall that “operational control of our southern border was comprised and a humanitarian and national security crisis has ensued.”
The letter added:
The President’s actions directly contributed to this unfortunate, yet entirely avoidable, scenario. They are also a blatant violation of federal law and infringe on Congress’s constitutional power of the purse. We write regarding these actions. We believe they violated the Impoundment Control Act (ICA), as interpreted by your office, and we request your legal opinion on the matter. Prompt action to end these violations is required to restore order at the border.
More than 60 Republican House lawmakers joined their Senate colleagues on Tuesday in pushing the GAO to investigate the matter.
The lawmakers wrote:
We are writing to be added as co-requesters of a March 17, 2021 letter, signed by 40 United States Senators, requesting the Government Accountability Office’s investigation and legal opinion on the actions of the Biden Administration to suspend border wall construction and to order a freeze of funds provided by Congress for that purpose, which we believe violated the Impoundment Control Act.
Politico’s report said that it would be unlikely that Biden face any formal punishment for his actions if the the GAO found that Biden illegally paused border wall funding.
The news comes as the southern border has become overwhelmed under Biden’s leadership after the president reversed numerous policies put in place by the Trump administration.
Comments
Post a Comment