House Republicans Advance Legislative Branch Funding Bill that Allows Trump Administration Corruption, Forfeits Power of the Purse

House Republicans Reject Amendment to Prevent Payouts to Elected Officials from $1.8 Billion Trump Slush Fund

WASHINGTON — House Appropriations Committee Republicans advanced their 2027 Legislative Branch funding bill out of the full committee. The legislation weakens government oversight and allows President Trump to continue stealing money promised to the middle class, working class, and vulnerable Americans.

For 2027, the bill includes a total of $5.4 billion, a decrease of $125 million or 2 percent, below 2026. This total excludes the Senate items. The legislation:

• Opens the door to more corruption within the Trump administration by weakening government oversight, slashing funding for the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) and eliminating over 1,000 jobs critical to eliminating waste and abuse of taxpayer dollars.
• Allows President Trump to continue to steal money promised to the American taxpayer by weakening checks on the unlawful withholding of funds.
• Does nothing to allow Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients to work in the Legislative Branch.

“Once again, Republicans are utilizing the power of the House to carry out Donald Trump's agenda by cutting funding to weaken some of our most vital governmental programs and our ability to hold the executive branch accountable,” Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13) said. “This funding proposal undermines our oversight abilities, lessens our role to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse, and does very little to hold this administration accountable, and therefore, I cannot support it.”

Congressman Espaillat’s full remarks are here.

“House Republicans’ Legislative Branch funding bill guts resources for the Government Accountability Office, which makes it easier for the Trump administration to withhold funding that Congress approves – forfeiting our power of the purse.” Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) said. “I share my Republican colleagues’ concern over government efficiency. I am strongly in favor of making sure the American people are getting the most for their money. But it does not make any sense to slash funding for the agency dedicated to that very mission – especially when that agency generates so much more in savings than it costs to operate. This bill also includes a provision that would make it easier for the Trump administration to withhold the funds that Congress approves. That is bad for this institution as a whole – not just for one party or the other. Republicans need to reconsider their strategy and join Democrats to support the work the American people elected us to do.”

Congresswoman DeLauro’s full remarks are here.

During the full committee markup of the bill, Democrats offered many improvements to Republicans’ bill, including amendments to:

• Prevent President Trump’s corrupt $1.8 billion slush fund for political allies from being used to make payments to elected officials.
• Combat government waste, fraud, and abuse by restoring GAO funding using Office of Management and Budget funding from Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bills. 
• Strike House Republicans’ harmful provision that undermines the rule of law across the federal government and restricts GAO from bringing civil actions against any department, agency, officer, or employee of the United States for failing to comply with the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974.
• Allow Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, also known as “Dreamers,” to work in the Legislative Branch.
• Create an exhibition to remember the January 6 insurrection.
• Provide union protection for House food service employees.

House Republicans rejected these commonsense amendments.

A summary of House Republicans’ 2027 Legislative Branch funding bill is here. The full text of the bill is here. 

In keeping with longstanding practice whereby each chamber of Congress determines its own housekeeping requirements and the other concurs without intervention, the bill does not include funds for the Senate or Senate office buildings. 

A recording of the full committee markup can be found here.

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