Taxes and Budget

The president's power over approved spending

13 public statements from 2026 candidates · 1 related bill

§1The range of views

Why this matters: It decides whether Congress's spending choices stand once they become law, or whether a president can override them by not spending the money.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

Whether a president can hold back or cancel money Congress has approved; a 1974 law requires the money to be spent unless Congress agrees within 45 days to cancel it, and the Government Accountability Office found in 2025 and 2026 that agencies had broken that law by withholding some funds.1,2

  1. Let presidents withhold or cancel approved money they decide not to spend
  2. Keep the 1974 law, under which Congress must agree before approved money is canceled
  3. Add penalties and faster court enforcement when approved money is held back

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Keep the 1974 law, under which Congress must agree before approved money is canceled (1)

  • DeVelle L. Jackson MN-5
    It says control of federal spending belongs to Congress, that the executive branch must spend money Congress has appropriated, and that a president may put forward rescission requests but cannot, acting alone, cancel funds Congress has appropriated.3

Add penalties and faster court enforcement when approved money is held back (2)

  • Mike Sell FL-4
    His campaign's platform says withholding money Congress has approved is illegal and calls for giving Congress legal standing to sue when funds are frozen, automatic release of frozen funds 30 days after a court order with no appeal pending, and inspector general sign-off before any agency spending freeze lasts more than 30 days.4
  • Daniel Biss IL-9
    His campaign website says he will work to pass the Protecting Our Constitution and Communities Act, which it says would create a right of action for individuals, states and local governments harmed by illegal cuts to congressionally authorized funds.5

Statements that don't match one option (10)

  • Sam Liccardo CA-16
    His campaign website lists among his accomplishments introducing the Protect Our Constitution and Communities Act to prevent unconstitutional withholding of funds Congress has appropriated.6
  • Ro Khanna CA-17
    His campaign website says presidents should not withhold money Congress has approved, and proposes a No Kings Act to end funding freezes and other ways it says the administration bypassed Congress.7
  • Patty McMahon CO-6
    Her campaign website proposes a TRUST Act to make sure federal money is spent exactly as Congress authorized and to protect civil servants who follow the law from political pressure, and calls for a congressional investigation of whether agency transfers complied with appropriations law.8
  • Michael J. Quirk FL-17
    His campaign website says that when Congress passes an appropriation into law the money should move, and that no president of either party should be able to sit on funds Congress approved.9
  • Eliott Rodriguez FL-27
    His campaign website says he would work to reassert Congress’s constitutional authority over spending, war powers and executive action.10
  • Jamee Decio IN-2
    Her campaign website says she believes in returning the power of the purse to Congress.11
  • Brad A. Meyer IN-9
    His campaign website lists maintaining clear limits on how public money can be redirected among steps to restore guardrails on the exercise of power.12
  • Josh Smead MO-6
    His campaign website says the current administration must be stopped from holding up funding from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.13
  • Rebecca Bennett NJ-7
    The same page lists making the current administration answer for disregarding court rulings and constitutional limits on presidential power, including Congress's authority over spending.14
  • John Francis Reed RI Senate
    His campaign website says the administration tried to go around Congress by freezing federal money for housing and infrastructure projects, and that he worked to get that money flowing to Rhode Island again.15

§3Related bills

Why this matters: Bills from 2023–2026 that bear on this issue, with how Congress handled them.