Weekly Spotlight: A Dangerous Power Grab

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AN ILLEGAL POWER GRAB 

Deploying the U.S. Military on American Soil is a Dangerous Abuse of Power 

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump called for the deployment of at least 700 Marines and 4,000 members of the National Guard in response to ongoing protests in Los Angeles. This kind of deployment is typically reserved for the most extreme circumstances, so Trump’s use of the military to intimidate people who are simply exercising their right to protest reflects his broader willingness to bend and break the law to enact his agenda. As POGO’s Danielle Brian explains, “President Trump’s decision to federalize and deploy the National Guard and threaten the use of the active duty military is an unjustifiable and dangerous power grab.” 

Dig deeper: 

• Take action: Tell your representatives in Congress to use every tool at their disposal to end the use of military force against protesters in Los Angeles or anywhere else.
• Experts from The Constitution Project at POGO weigh in on the military deployments to Los Angeles.
• Habeas corpus requires governments to justify the detention or imprisonment of any person, citizen or not, and the Trump administration’s attempts to redefine it are a threat to American democracy.
• Stephen Miller’s threats to suspend habeas corpus are part of a larger pattern of attacks on the courts.
• President Trump has also threatened that any protesters at the military parade being held in Washington will be met with “heavy force.”
• On Thursday, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) was forcibly removed for asking questions at a Department of Homeland Security press conference. As Danielle Brian says in a statement on our website, “Senator Padilla was doing exactly what we expect from our representatives by demanding answers and accountability from those in power. If a sitting senator can’t question government officials without fear of violence, then what protections remain for ordinary citizens?

CHECKS AND BALANCES 

Or a Rubber Stamp of Approval?

In an attempt to further expand executive power, Russell Vought, who leads the Office of Management and Budget (and whose nomination we opposed), has told agencies to freeze their spending before Congress votes on those agencies’ funding during the recissions process. Vought is also attempting a “pocket rescissions” strategy, by which the White House intentionally holds off on sending its rescission request until the end of the fiscal year, giving Congress a very limited time to act. If Congress fails to act, the funds slated for elimination are automatically canceled. While this ostensibly gives Congress a say, it undermines Congress’s authority to decide how tax dollars are spent. These tactics are an attempt to weaken congressional oversight of the federal budget, and members should not go along with it. Instead, Congress should pass the Congressional Power of the Purse Act, a bill POGO supports that would, among other things, prevent tactics like backdoor/pocket rescissions. 

• On Thursday, the House voted to cut about $9.4 billion in spending already approved by Congress. This rescissions package is a small fraction of the reported hundreds of billions of dollars held back by the government, and the package for even this small amount was sent months late. Congress must take back its power of the purse.

POGO Investigations Desk 

(Illustration: Ren Velez / POGO)

• New investigation: Health and Human Services plans to close six regional watchdog offices tasked with protecting Medicare and Medicaid. Insiders warn that this could open the floodgates to waste, fraud, and abuse — costing taxpayers billions.  
• Some big news! After POGO’s investigation into the “clearly neglected” state of barracks at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, renovations to improve the housing there are now in the works.