The Power of the Purse and Congress’s Fiscal Responsibility
Congress must reclaim fiscal responsibility, from inception to execution.
(Photos: Getty Images; Illustration: Leslie Garvey / POGO)
More than any other branch of our government, Congress has a responsibility to the American people to direct our nation’s funds — and to ensure those funds are spent in ways that serve the people. The power of the purse, the authority to collect federal tax and appropriate spending, is arguably Congress’s most essential tool and is central to the legislative branch’s purpose. Congress also has broad oversight authority under Article I of the Constitution. In the context of appropriations, oversight includes monitoring how and where federal funds are spent. This is essential to identifying fraud and abuse and also ensures that the branch of government closest to the public – Congress — can track and evaluate spending in constituents’ communities.
From inception to execution, there are critical points in the funding process where the legislative branch can reclaim and strengthen its power of the purse and its responsibility for oversight. We look forward to working with members of Congress on these goals.
The Power of the Purse
The power of the purse is central to Congress’s functionality, and it helps place Congress as the first branch of the federal government. In our nation’s founding documents, including the Constitution and Federalist Papers, the founders made the case that the branch most accountable to the public should control spending as a check on executive power. But over time, Congress has yielded some of this power to overzealous presidents, diminishing what ought to be a fundamental check on executive power.
Two important laws govern Congress’s power of the purse. The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act requires the president to spend appropriated money unless Congress revisits the appropriation or approves a delay. The Antideficiency Act ensures that agencies do not spend money they do not have. Strengthening these laws is essential to restoring the first branch’s domain over spending.
In the past, presidents of both parties have abused impoundment, delaying or even outright refusing to spend funds appropriated by Congress. The 119th Congress will need to affirmatively defend its power of the purse: Members of the Trump administration have argued in favor of impoundment as a presidential power, and during his 2024 reelection campaign, President Donald Trump announced he plans to “bring back presidential impoundment.” It’s critical that Congress resist efforts to siphon away this important power and responsibility, and instead, strengthen the laws safeguarding its power to spend.
Oversight of Federal Spending
Enacting reforms to protect the power of the purse is of critical importance. But so too is the oversight necessary to ensure that the money appropriated by Congress makes its way to programs that serve the American people.
Unfortunately, a lack of commonsense spending controls opens the door to fraud before the money is even out the door. Once money is actually spent, it can be difficult to track how and where taxpayer funds have gone. Congress has appropriated billions of dollars in infrastructure and pandemic spending since 2020, and the public is counting on Congress to determine whether and how federal funds reached the communities they represent.
“The Antideficiency Act ensures that agencies do not spend money they do not have. Strengthening these laws is essential to restoring the first branch’s domain over spending.”
POGO supports mandating the inclusion and implementation of commonsense spending guardrails and oversight requirements. It’s particularly important that these checks are implemented for large spending packages. Congress must also pass legislation to fix current federal spending reporting, fill reporting gaps, track new data points, and hold agencies accountable for collecting this data.
Members of Congress have a responsibility to the American public to spend our money wisely. Weakening the nation’s purse strings does not achieve this intended goal, and neither does losing track of federal funds once they are appropriated. Instead, Congress must strengthen its spending powers in the face of overly ambitious executives and ensure that it oversees how taxpayer dollars are spent.
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Faith Williams Faith Williams
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