1d ago

Trump ‘does not have the authority to abolish’ USAID: Congressional Research Service

thehill.com Donald Trump 'does not have the authority to abolish' USAID, CRS says

Summary

A Congressional Research Service report states Trump lacks the authority to abolish USAID, as congressional approval is required.

It explains that a 1998 law briefly allowed reorganization but expired in 1999. While past administrations have modified USAID's functions, they consulted Congress.

Lawmakers are concerned about Trump's executive order pausing foreign aid and potential USAID-State Department consolidation.

41 comments

Authority means nothing anymore. Only power does.
The Liberals still don't understand that.
The US has two options to reverse course now
indefinite general strike and civil disobedience, damanding resignation of entire administration.
Military coup.

People don't seem to understand that there is a whole new order now. Previously, we said the President can't do X, Y, or Z, and we relied on long-standing norms, beliefs, and traditions as a self-enforcing mechanism. We told the President "You can't", and he said "Okay". But now, we're saying "You can't", and Trump is saying "Who says I can't, and what are you going to do about it?", knowing that the answer is largely "Nothing."
This is the way it works now.
Unless there is something directly in the Constitution explicitly saying that Trump cannot do something, then as far as Trump is concerned, he can and will do it.
Even if there is something in the Constitution explicitly stating that Trump cannot do something, Trump is going to do it anyway to see if anybody is willing to enforce it.
If nobody is willing or able to stop him, Trump essentially has the power to do it.
Even if a court ruling were to prevent Trump from directly shutting down a federal agency like USAID, what's to just stop him from firing the entire staff and saying "Sure, USAID can remain open. It'll just have zero employees.". Then what?
- I get it, he's doing all kinds of shit that's illegal now. And I get it, people need to stand up to him.
  At the same time, let's not do his work for him by treating it like a forgone conclusion he will do whatever he wants.
  Sometimes politicians, law enforcement and just rank & file workers need assurance and official blessing to not comply.
  I don't like how things are going at all, and want to be clear eyed about the situation. Still, lets not assume it's all over, cause it's not.
  
  I get it, he’s doing all kinds of shit that’s illegal now. And I get it, people need to stand up to him.
  At the same time, let’s not do his work for him by treating it like a forgone conclusion he will do whatever he wants.
  Have you not been paying attention? Have you seen even the slightest smidge of indication that anyone in power will stand up to him? Because right now, he's doing whatever he wants and being rewarded for it, and that doesn't look like it's going to change any time soon.
  Sometimes politicians, law enforcement and just rank & file workers need assurance and official blessing to not comply.
  And right now the official word they're getting is comply, be fired, or be sent to Gitmo/El Salvador. There is nobody in a position to be able to give them "an official blessing to not comply" even if they wanted to. If you want, I'll give you my official blessing not to comply. It carries just as much weight right now (read: none).
  I don’t like how things are going at all, and want to be clear eyed about the situation. Still, lets not assume it’s all over, cause it’s not.
  I wish I had your optimism. But right now, every political body that could stand up to Trump is either marching in lockstep with him or rolling over and playing dead. That optimism right now just isn't based in reality.

I love all these "it's illegal" and "he has no authority" articles.
Until someone stops him, he has the authority. The man isn't going to stop because you wave a piece of paper at him, and neither are his cronies.
I hope these kinds of stories embolden or empower the folks trying to stand up to him, but its already clear he'll physically remove people from offices if needed. How long before the dissenters are just on the next plane to Gitmo while every Republican voter either cheers him on, stands by silently, or doesn't even know it's happening?
- This is going to end up with a whole lot of people getting lynched by angry mobs.
  
  Who's angry mobs are going to be victorious, is the question.
  That's not where things will end. That's where they'll start.
- Nowhere near enough people understand this. Challenging these things in court isn't going to matter when the courts are all shut down. The DOJ has already advised that he can ignore court injunctions. The US government is being rapidly dismantled. The rule of law no longer exists.
- Turns out checks and balances don't work when one of them has all the guns.
  
  And none of the others have a spine.

It's cute that anyone thinks Trump cares or that the Republicans won't remove it of president musk demands it.

Okay well he's done it

Meanwhile USAID's employees are threatened and their servers seized by 20-somethings who refuse to give their name.
It boggles my mind how you can just...waltz into a government department with no legal basis, and people just comply.
- Money is god
  
  Well in this case the president is, and anyone in his service that he’d pardon.

Crazy how fast they move now...
It took years for them to decide if Biden had the power to do, well, anything as president.
Almost like them slow walking the entire Dem platform was intentional, and a major reason Dems lost 2024 as a result
- Biden was trying to with within the legal system. Trump don't care.
  
  Well he certainly had the authority to direct the national archivist to ratify the ERA. And if they refused, he had the authority to replace them. There are dozens of such examples. There is a yawning gulf between the lawlessness of Trump and the utter impotence of Biden.

he doesn't have 'authority' to do many of the things he's currently getting away with.

We will condemn with the strongest possible terms as we watch.

He has implicit Congressional Approval as long as the GOP maintain a majority and sit back, doing nothing.
Twenty-something years from now, we’ll all be quoting “First they came for the migrants, but I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a migrant; then they came for the foreign aid workers, but I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a foreign aid worker…” when referring to the downfall of the United States of America.
- Twenty something years from now, the people left will be telling ancient stories around a campfire.

So... impeachment? What are you waiting for.
- Impeachment has never done anything.
- They don't have the numbers for it to work
  
  Better not do anything at all then

In another day or two Elon and his minions will likely be able to halt all money going yo USAID, including salaries to workers. So that will effectively abolish it.
- He's already fired everyone. And takem over the federal financial systems. They have the firehose, they can point it at thier owm wallets.

Ok, they won’t shut down USAID, but all US employees are fired and computers removed and buildings condemned. It’s still operating.

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