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When former President Donald Trump held up military aid to Ukraine in 2019, the Government Accountability Office said he violated budget law by not abiding by the will of Congress.
Now, the same issue — the freezing of appropriated funds — could trip up President Joe Biden.
As soon as next month, the Government Accountability Office will issue an opinion on the legality of Biden’s decision to hold up more than $1 billion in construction funding for a southern border wall.
The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, began work on the opinion after Republican lawmakers accused Biden of breaking budget law by stopping construction of the border wall and pausing the obligation of the funds.
“We do have right now, pending, a decision that we’re working on,” said Edda Emmanuelli Perez, the GAO’s deputy general counsel, who testified Thursday at a House Budget Committee hearing. She said GAO asked the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Homeland Security to provide factual and legal views to the GAO, “and we’re expecting their responses right now mid to late next week.”
Even before lawmakers requested an opinion in March, Perez said, the GAO began to explore the withholding of funds after Biden paused construction of the border wall on his first day in office. The administration said it wanted a chance to conduct a study of alternative uses for the funds.
Biden opposed the wall during his campaign and on Jan. 20 signed a proclamation ending the national emergency that Trump declared on the southern border. The Biden pause freezes whatever is left of a $1.4 billion appropriation for wall construction for the current fiscal year, as well as funds that were shifted from other accounts and any other remaining balances.
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In Trump’s case, the freezing of Ukraine aid helped lead to his first impeachment, after lawmakers discovered he held up the money Congress appropriated at the same time he asked for a “favor” from Ukraine’s president to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter. The Senate acquitted him of the impeachment charges.
No one has suggested Biden is at any risk of impeachment from a Democratic Congress over a border wall funding freeze. And the administration is free to ignore a GAO opinion, which has no legal force.
But the case nonetheless raises similar questions over the president’s ability to “impound,” or withhold, funding appropriated by Congress, under the 1974 budget act that established the modern budget process. Trump’s use of the impoundment power led Democratic lawmakers to introduce legislation last year aimed at reining in the president’s authority and making the process more transparent.
“I believe in this good government legislation, and I am fully committed to pursuing its reforms regardless of who is in the White House,” House Budget Chairman John Yarmuth, D-Ky., said in opening his panel’s hearing Thursday aimed at reasserting the congressional “power of the purse.”
The Biden hold has now gone on for 100 days, twice as long as Trump’s Ukraine withholding. But the Trump pause occurred later in the year, when the funds risked expiring.
Trump administration officials said OMB withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in Ukraine aid to determine the best use of the money. OMB later released the funds and they were obligated for Ukraine before they expired in 2019.
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Most “Conservative” News Outlets Are on the Big Tech Teat
Not long ago, conservative media was not beholden to anyone. Today, most sites are stuck on the Big Tech gravy train.
I’ll keep this short. The rise of Pandemic Panic Theater, massive voter fraud, and other “taboo” topics have neutered a majority of conservative news sites. You’ll notice they are very careful about what topics they tackle. Sure, they’ll attack Critical Race Theory, Antifa, and the Biden-Harris regime, but you won’t see them going after George Soros, Bill Gates, the World Economic Forum, or the Deep State, among others.
The reason is simple. They are beholden to Big Tech, and Big Tech doesn’t allow certain topics to be discussed or they’ll cut you off. Far too many conservative news outlets rely on Google, Facebook, and Twitter for the bulk of their traffic. They depend on big checks from Google ads to keep the sites running. I don’t necessarily hold it against them. We all do what we need to do to survive. I just wish more would do like we have, which is to cut out Big Tech altogether.
We don’t get Google checks. We don’t have Facebook or Twitter buttons on our stories. We don’t have a YouTube Channel (banned), an Instagram profile (never made one), or a TikTok (no thanks, CCP). We’re not perfect, but we’re doing everything we can to not owe anything to anyone… other than our readers. We owe YOU the truth. We owe YOU the facts that others won’t reveal about topics that others won’t tackle. And we owe America, this great land that allows us to take hold of these opportunities.
Like I said, I don’t hold other conservative sites under too much scrutiny over their choices. It’s easy for people to point fingers when we’re not the ones paying their bills or supporting their families. I just wish there were more who would make the bold move. Today, only a handful of other major conservative news outlets have broken free from the Big Tech teat. Of course, we need help.
The best way you can help us grow and continue to bring proper news and opinions to the people is by donating. We appreciate everything, whether a dollar or $10,000. Anything brings us closer to a point of stability when we can hire writers, editors, and support staff to make the America First message louder. Our Giving Fuel page makes it easy to donate one-time or monthly. Alternatively, you can donate through PayPal or Bitcoin as well. Bitcoin: 3A1ELVhGgrwrypwTJhPwnaTVGmuqyQrMB8
Our network is currently comprised of six sites:
- NOQ Report
- Conservative Playlist
- Freedom First Network
- Based Underground
- Uncanceled News
- Our Gold Guy
We are also building partnerships with great conservative sites like The Liberty Daily and The Epoch Times to advance the message as loudly as possible, and we’re always looking for others with which to partner.
Some of our content is spread across multiple sites. Other pieces of content are unique. We write most of what we post but we also draw from those willing to allow us to share their quality articles, videos, and podcasts. We collect the best content from fellow conservative sites that give us permission to republish them. We’re not ego-driven; I’d much rather post a properly attributed story written by experts like Dr. Joseph Mercola or Natural News than rewrite it like so many outlets like to do. We’re not here to take credit. We’re here to spread the truth.
While donations are the best way to help, you can also support us by buying through our sponsors:
- MyPillow: Use promo code “NOQ” to get up to 66% off AND you’ll be helping a patriotic, America First company.
- ZStack: Improve your immune system with the Z-Stack protocol or rejuvenate your body from vaccines or shedding with Z-DTox by Dr. Vladimir Zelenko.
- OurGoldGuy: Tell them JD sent you in your request to buy gold and it will help us… AND (wait for it) you’ll be helping a patriotic, America First company.
- MyPatriotSupply: Stock up on long-term food, survival gear, and other things that you’ll need just in case things don’t recover and we keep heading towards apocalypse.
We know we could make a lot more money if we sold out like so many “conservative” publications out there. You won’t find Google ads on our site for a reason. Yes, they’re lucrative, but I don’t like getting paid by minions of Satan (I don’t like Google very much if you couldn’t tell).
Time is short. As the world spirals towards The Great Reset, the need for truthful journalism has never been greater. But in these times, we need as many conservative media voices as possible. Please help keep NOQ Report and the other sites in the network going. Our promise is this: We will never sell out America. If that means we’re going to struggle for a while or even indefinitely, so be it. Integrity first. Truth first. America first.
Thank you and God Bless,
JD Rucker
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