There is one person who might have the power to stop Donald Trump, and one former prosecutor is saying "the time is now" to finally take action.
Ex-federal prosecutor Joyce Vance published a piece on Substack called "Congress may have the spending power, but Trump can usurp it if they won't protect it," in which she argues Congress has so far failed to protect its power of the purse.
Vance goes on to highlight the Impoundment Control Act (ICA), which she says "closed the loophole that allowed presidents to seize the power of the purse and it authorizes the comptroller general, the head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to file a lawsuit if the president illegally impounds funds."
Noting that "the comptroller general can audit, investigate, and report without political interference," Vance adds that "the current comptroller, Gene L. Dodaro, has served since his confirmation by the Senate on December 22, 2010, during the Obama administration."
"He has been with the GAO for more than 50 years and held a number of key executive posts before becoming the comptroller, including chief operating officer. He led the development of GAO's strategic plans for serving Congress and improving government in the 21st Century," she said.
She also quoted Dodaro as saying, "We need to be careful and thorough because the next step for us is to go to court ourselves... Under the Impoundment Control Act, if we say there’s an impoundment – the money’s not released within a certain period of time – we have to go to court. I need to be prepared and be careful because when I go there, I want to win.”
According to Vance, there isn't any time to waste here.
"Godspeed Mr. Comptroller General. The appeal of this matter could go on for years, and there is little chance of predicting where the Supreme Court might ultimately come out," she wrote. "The time for the comptroller to sue is now."
