Bobby Kogan, senior director of federal budget policy at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, said in an emailed statement that the Trump administration was already “illegally impounding additional funds,” as withholding money has “always been illegal without explicit Congressional approval.”

The White House has sent its long-awaited spending cuts request to Congress as it seeks to formalize a slew of DOGE slashes to federal funding.

Over the last week, Vought has ramped up this rhetoric, repeatedly talking about using a controversial tactic known as a “pocket recission” to defy Congress’ funding directives. Using such a maneuver later this summer, he contends, would let the White House make all of the DOGE cuts permanent, regardless of support or disapproval from Congress.