Trump and Musk are Usurping Congress's Power of the Purse

Trump and Musk are Usurping Congress's Power of the Purse

In the U.S. Constitutional system, Congress has the power of the purse. That was a point of emphasis for the Founders, and it’s one of the first things we teach kids about the government. It’s right on principle—as per the Revolutionary War slogan “no taxation without representation”—and an important check on tyranny. We the People are sovereign, not any individual leader, so the only legitimate allocation of the people’s money is by the people’…