WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Senate passed a nearly seven-month funding patch.  U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee,  opposed the bill – both on cloture and final passage – and warned against Congress emboldening the president and shirking Congress’s power of the purse and its duty to hold the executive branch accountable on tariffs.

Democrats sought to work on a bipartisan basis to keep the federal government funded and ensure the executive branch follows the law, but Senator Reed is concerned President Trump will try to misuse the stopgap funding bill as cover to continue unlawfully seizing spending powers the Constitution clearly delegates to the legislative branch.

“I oppose this bill and President Trump’s executive overreach.  He is raising costs on everyday Americans, causing inflationary pressure, and creating a serious economic drag with his disastrous tariff taxes.  His Vice President apparently assured House Republicans behind closed doors that if they pass this law, the President has no intention of following it.  That’s incredibly destabilizing, shortchanges taxpayers, and causes uncertainty that’s really bad for businesses, people, and our economy,” said Reed.  “And it shows what this spending bill is really about – making it easier for the President to continue his chaotic economic policies while breaking the Constitution’s separation of powers.”

“The Constitution explicitly gives Congress the “power of the purse” but President Trump wants to seize that power for himself.  Congress must not embolden him and the Supreme Court should uphold our constitutional system of checks and balances,” continued Reed.

“Americans want a government focused on lower prices and security.  Trump is working in the opposite direction.  That is why I pushed for a clean 30-day funding bill.  President Trump was offered an economic lifeline, but he rejected it.  He should pause and face reality before causing even more economic damage,” stated Reed.

The current fiscal year began in October.  Congress is five months behind on the appropriations package because back in the fall, before he was president, Donald Trump urged Congressional Republicans to stop FY 2025 spending negotiations for several months to give him more control over the process if he was elected to the White House.