The Trump administration broke the law by witholding congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine last summer “for a policy reason,” a top government watchdog said Thursday. The report by the Government Accountability Office came a day after the House of Representatives sent articles of impeachment of President Donald Trump to the Senate for conduct related to the withholding of that aid to Ukraine. Trump had held back the funds at the same time he was pressuring Ukraine’s new president to announce investigations by that country of former Vice President Joe Biden, who is the front-runner for the Democratic ... (full story)

In the summer of 2019, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) withheld from obligation funds appropriated to the Department of Defense (DOD) for security assistance to Ukraine. In order to withhold the funds, OMB issued a series of nine apportionment schedules with footnotes that made all unobligated balances unavailable for obligation. Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law. OMB withheld funds for a policy reason, which is not permitted under the Impoundment Control Act (ICA). The withholding was not a ... (full story)