Trumpian Impoundments in Historical Perspective
Zachary S. Price, Stanford Law Review & The Stanford Law Review
Abstract
Reviving Nixon-era arguments, the Trump Administration claims the power to unilaterally withhold congressionally appropriated funds. In this Essay, Zachary Price dismantles the constitutional and practical case for presidential impoundment, and warns that letting the executive control the purse would threaten separation of powers and undermine democratic accountability.