Trump Violates Impoundment Control Act - $425b in Critical Programs Frozen

I write to demand immediate action to stop President Trump's illegal blockade of at least $425 billion in congressionally appropriated funds. Multiple federal judges have ruled this unprecedented funding freeze violates the Constitution and the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Congress must defend its constitutional power of the purse and restore funding to critical programs that American families depend on. The evidence is overwhelming. As of June 2025, the Trump administration is illegally withholding funding for cancer research, disaster relief, infrastructure projects, clean water programs, and national security initiatives (House Appropriations Committee, June 2025). Federal judges in Rhode Island and other states have ruled that this freeze "fundamentally undermines the distinct constitutional roles of each branch of our government" and ordered immediate restoration of payments. Yet agencies continue defying court orders, creating chaos across the country. This assault on constitutional governance has real consequences. Students are losing educational support, cancer patients face treatment delays, and disaster survivors wait for promised relief funds. Communities cannot access resources to combat violent crime or address the substance abuse crisis. The administration has even taken down the legally required OMB website that discloses spending decisions, hiding their actions from public view in direct violation of transparency laws. The Impoundment Control Act exists precisely to prevent this abuse. Congress passed this law in 1974 after President Nixon tried similar tactics, requiring presidents to follow specific procedures when requesting spending changes. The Government Accountability Office already found Trump violated this law during his first term by withholding Ukraine aid, contributing to his impeachment. Now he repeats the same illegal behavior on a massive scale. No president has the authority to override Congress and steal taxpayer money already allocated by law. I urge you to immediately investigate this constitutional crisis, hold oversight hearings, and take every available action to force restoration of these funds. Our democracy depends on Congress defending its constitutional role, not allowing any president to rule by executive decree while families suffer the consequences.