House Democrats look to use budget process to pressure Trump administration to comply with investigations

By Rachael Bade March 29 at 1:01 PM

Senior House Democrats, frustrated by the Trump administration’s unwillingness to comply with multiple congressional investigations, are seriously considering withholding money from key administration priorities until their document requests are met.

Democrats argue that the White House, which has dismissed many of their probes into President Trump and the administration as overreach, is preventing Congress from conducting oversight. The appropriations process, they say, is one of their strongest forms of leverage to pressure Cabinet officials or agency chiefs who have been uncooperative.

“One of the most important tools that Congress has to hold the executive branch accountable is the power of the purse,” said House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.) in a statement. “As we write appropriations bills, we will exercise that power to ensure that the Trump administration respects the critical oversight role of the legislative branch.”

The possibility of depriving federal agencies of money for certain priorities or management offices could escalate the standoff between the executive and legislative branches — or, Democrats hope, speed along their investigations.

It is still unclear which departments could feel the squeeze. But in the coming weeks, as House Democratic appropriators write bills funding agencies and departments across the federal government, they will be working with chairmen to find what one official called “pressure points” to force compliance, according to multiple senior House Democrats familiar with the strategy.

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