Thursday, January 16, 2020

GAO: OMB Unlawfully withheld Ukraine Security Assistance

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Mick Mulvaney and others need to testify to establish at whose direction the OMB took this unlawful action.  The Senate has to decide if we should just "get over it". - gwc

Government Accountability Office (GAO) B-331564, Office of Management and Budget—Withholding of Ukraine Security Assistance

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 programmatic delay. Therefore, we conclude that OMB violated the ICA.

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