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President Donald Trumpโs administration was ordered to restore a public database tracking government spending. By: Yuri Gripas โ Pool via CNP / MEGA
Back in March, President Donald Trumpโs administration shut down a public database detailing how federal funds were being spent. The administrationโs reason for making such important data secret? It claimed sharing the information could reveal potentially sensitive details and get in the way of the presidentโs ability to manage Americaโs money. Opponents hit back โ and an appeals court has since made it clear that Congress, not the president, has the power to decide if federal spending information should or should not be public, Knewz.com can report.
Public database must be restored
The decision by a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit was unanimous. By: Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash
A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously ordered the Trump administration to restore the database. The decision upheld a previous ruling, for which the Justice Department had obtained a temporary stay, by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, to restore the data and keep it publicly accessible while the legal fight continued. Judge Sullivan had dismissed the Trump administrationโs argument that public access endangered executive functions, explaining that making the data publicly available was crucial for Congress to carry out its oversight responsibilities.
Congress trumps the president
A federal appeals court told President Donald Trumpโs administration to restore a public database showing how federal funding is apportioned by Congress. By: Elijah Mears on Unsplash
The D.C. Circuit judgesโ ruling reconfirmed that Congress has sole constitutional authority concerning federal spending and that the legislative branch โ and not the executive branch โ holds the power to decide whether or not that financial data is available to the public. The panelโs warning was clear, Newsweek reported: Allowing the president to hide that information would undercut congressional oversight and weaken the separation of powers between branches.
What the appeals court said
Judge Karen Henderson wrote that the administrationโs rationale posed a threat to the separation of powers. By: Win McNamee โ Pool via CNP / MEGA
In a 25-page opinion dismissing the Trump administrationโs arguments, Judge Karen Henderson, who was appointed by former President George H.W. Bush, wrote that the executive branchโs rationale โwas an affront to Congressโ authority over government spending.โ She also clearly stated that โonly Congress โ not the administration โ could decide to shut down the database.โ
Historical context
Lawmakers are concerned about the executive branch canceling billions in Congress-approved federal funding. By: Alicia Razuri on Unsplash
The panelโs ruling also explained the history of the principle of the legislative branchโs control over public funds. They noted how Americaโs founding fathers โ including Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and George Mason โ considered public access to government financial records a vital check on executive power as well as a fundamental example of accountability in a democracy.
The post Trump admin loses fight to keep spending data secret appeared first on Knewz.
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