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Welcome to The Logoff: Immediately, I’m specializing in the Trump administration’s choice to withhold almost $7 billion in federal training funding.
What simply occurred? The Trump administration refused to launch congressionally mandated funding to help a wide range of training initiatives: after-school and summer season applications, applications for college students who’re studying English, instructor coaching, classroom expertise, and extra.
The almost $7 billion was allotted to states and native faculties, and may have gone out on Tuesday. Its loss can be notably dangerous as a result of college districts have already made plans with the idea that the cash could be there, solely to have it pulled on the final minute.
What’s the administration saying? The Trump administration argues the withholding isn’t a freeze and is as a substitute as a result of the funds are beneath evaluate. However this argument is probably going a fig leaf, given the administration’s opposition to the applications in query and its earlier efforts to withhold funding for applications it disagrees with. What the administration seems to be doing is known as impoundment — the choice to not spend cash that Congress has already appropriated for a selected function.
Can they try this? Not likely — however we’ll see how the courts rule, for the reason that administration’s choice is nearly sure to be challenged in courtroom. Although the president can request Congress withdraw funding — and making that request would set off a short lived freeze — the administration hasn’t performed so on this case.
What’s the massive image right here? The Trump administration is waging a conflict towards the congressional energy of the purse, led by Workplace of Administration and Funds director Russ Vought (of Mission 2025 fame).
The choice to withhold training funding is considered one of a variety of efforts to wrest spending energy from Congress, and current reporting suggests the administration is contemplating methods to step up its assault and problem restrictions on impoundment extra broadly. If it’s profitable, it will likely be a serious growth of Trump’s powers — and one other blow to Congress’s.
And with that, it’s time to sign off…
I completely liked this story from my colleague Bryan Walsh concerning the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, which simply final month shared its first photos of the cosmos. The telescope itself is a scientific marvel that has already supplied helpful information to researchers, however, as Bryan factors out, it’s additionally the “final perspective supplier,” a reminder of our place in an enormous, lovely universe. I hope you get pleasure from his piece — and the pictures — as a lot as I did, and I’ll see you again right here tomorrow!
