Anaya Nolan
The Trump administration broke the law by withholding congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine in 2019, a federal watchdog concluded. The decision to freeze the aid was directed by the president himself, and during the House impeachment inquiry, administration officials testified that they had raised concerns about its legality. The White House's Office of Management and Budget withheld nearly $400 million in aid, even though the funds had been allocated by Congress.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Who broke the law? | President Trump |
| Who did they break the law with? | The Trump administration |
| What did they do? | Withheld congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine |
| How much money was withheld? | $400 million |
| What law did they break? | The Impoundment Control Act |
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What You'll Learn
- The Trump administration broke the law by withholding congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine
- Trump's decision to freeze the aid was directed by the president himself
- The White House's Office of Management and Budget violated the law
- Trump's decision to freeze military aid is at the heart of impeachment proceedings against the president
- The Government Accountability Office report came a day after the House of Representatives sent articles of impeachment of President Donald Trump to the Senate
The Trump administration broke the law by withholding congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine
The Impoundment Control Act states that it is illegal for the OMB to withhold money that has been appropriated by Congress and signed into law. If the White House wants to delay or deny funds, it must first alert Congress. The GAO report came a day after the House of Representatives sent articles of impeachment of President Trump to the Senate for conduct related to the withholding of aid to Ukraine.
Trump held back the funds while pressuring Ukraine's new president to announce investigations of former Vice President Joe Biden, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Democratic lawmakers have accused Trump of abusing his office by withholding hundreds of millions in assistance in order to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.
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Trump's decision to freeze the aid was directed by the president himself
Trump's decision to freeze military aid to Ukraine was directed by the president himself, according to a report by a federal watchdog. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) violated the law when it withheld nearly $400 million in congressionally approved military aid. The GAO report came a day after the House of Representatives sent articles of impeachment of President Trump to the Senate for conduct related to the withholding of aid to Ukraine.
Trump froze the funds while pressuring Ukraine's new president to announce investigations of former Vice President Joe Biden, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination. The White House has said it believed Trump was acting within his legal authority. However, Democratic lawmakers have accused Trump of abusing his office by withholding the funds in order to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.
The decision to withhold the aid broke the Impoundment Control Act, which makes it illegal for the OMB to withhold money that has been appropriated by Congress and signed into law. If the White House wants to delay or deny funds, it must first alert Congress. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, asked the GAO to assess Trump's decisions to freeze the Ukraine aid. He said the report vindicated Congress' decision to impeach Trump.
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The White House's Office of Management and Budget violated the law
The decision to freeze the aid was directed by President Trump himself, and administration officials testified that they had raised concerns about its legality. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that Trump broke the law when he froze assistance funds for Ukraine, and this was at the heart of impeachment proceedings against the president.
Trump withheld the funds while pressuring Ukraine's new president to announce investigations of former Vice President Joe Biden, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, asked the GAO to assess Trump's decisions to freeze the Ukraine aid. He said he thought the report vindicated Congress' decision to impeach Trump: "We now have a GAO decision stating conclusively that the Trump administration violated the law".
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Trump's decision to freeze military aid is at the heart of impeachment proceedings against the president
Trump's decision to freeze military aid to Ukraine is at the heart of impeachment proceedings against the president. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the White House's Office of Management and Budget broke the law when it withheld nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine over the summer of 2019. The funds had been allocated by Congress, and the GAO report concluded that the Trump administration violated the Impoundment Control Act by withholding the money.
The decision to freeze the aid was directed by the president himself, and during the House impeachment inquiry, administration officials testified that they had raised concerns about its legality. The report by the GAO came a day after the House of Representatives sent articles of impeachment of President Donald Trump to the Senate for conduct related to the withholding of that aid to Ukraine.
Trump held back the funds while pressuring Ukraine's new president to announce investigations of former Vice President Joe Biden, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. The White House has said that it believed Trump was acting within his legal authority. However, Democratic lawmakers have accused Trump of abusing his office by withholding hundreds of millions in assistance in order to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, asked the GAO to assess Trump's decisions to freeze the Ukraine aid. Van Hollen said he thought the report vindicated Congress' decision to impeach Trump: "We now have a GAO decision stating conclusively that the Trump administration violated the law."
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The Government Accountability Office report came a day after the House of Representatives sent articles of impeachment of President Donald Trump to the Senate
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, which came a day after the House of Representatives sent articles of impeachment of President Donald Trump to the Senate, concluded that the Trump administration broke the law by withholding congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine. The report stated that the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) violated the law when it withheld nearly $400 million in aid over the summer of 2019 "for a policy reason", even though the funds had been allocated by Congress. Under the Impoundment Control Act, it is illegal for the OMB to withhold money that has been appropriated by Congress and signed into law. The decision to freeze the aid was directed by the president himself, and during the House impeachment inquiry, administration officials testified that they had raised concerns about its legality.
The GAO report was requested by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, who asked the agency to assess Trump's decisions to freeze Ukraine aid. Van Hollen said he thought the report vindicated Congress' decision to impeach Trump, stating that "we now have a GAO decision stating conclusively that the Trump administration violated the law".
The withholding of military aid to Ukraine is at the heart of the impeachment proceedings against President Trump. Democratic lawmakers have accused Trump of abusing his office by withholding hundreds of millions in assistance in order to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, according to a federal watchdog report, Trump broke the law when he froze assistance funds for Ukraine.
Trump broke the Impoundment Control Act, which states that it is illegal for the OMB to withhold money that has been appropriated by Congress and signed into law.
Trump's decision to withhold aid to Ukraine was at the heart of impeachment proceedings against him.
