Washington – The Trump administration violated the federal law by stopping the appropriated funds as Congress for the Head Start Program, according to a new report by the independent government of the Congress.
The Government Accountability Office found that the children and family service programs of the Department of Health and Human Services violated the 1974 impulse control act (ICA) “” Stopping money “for early childhood development programs. Gao said that Congress applied head start funding for the financial year 2025, but between 20 January and 15 of this year, between 20 January and 15 April,” HHS ” The rate of significantly reduced the rate, as compared to the amount discounted in the same time period in FY 2024. “
Watchdog said that it contacted the Federal Health Department, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. From mid -February by Kennedy, Junior, for factual information about the situation and legal views of the department, but “HHS has not transmitted the requested information.”
“Given the absence of information from HHS, we have made this letter based on publicly available evidence,” Gao said In his decision published on Wednesday. “Because this evidence indicates that HHS has stopped the funded funds from the expenditure, and because the burden to justify such a ban is restricted with HHS and Executive Branch, we conclude that HHS violated the ICA, which was withdrawn from the money.”
Head Start, which serves low -income children in all 50 states, provides nutrition, health and educational services through grant recipients. The 1974 law was passed to prevent the fundamental branch from preventing appropriated funds to protect the separation of powers.
Typically, Gao stated that it analyzes the disbursing program and obliged data from an appropriation whether there is any indication that the funding was properly withdrawn. But the Trump Administration, Gao claimed, removed such data from its public websites, singing to that information contrary to the statutory authority. The Congress office said that when the Gao requested it, it was not provided.
HHS did not immediately respond to the remarks request.
In 1921, the GAO falls within the Legislative Branch, not within the Executive Branch, to help the Congress track the use of public funds and control the growing national debt after World War I.
Congress recently passed around $ 9 billion Rescue package Formally a formal -already authorized funding by the Congress, which is a legally suitable route to undo the authorized money of the Congress.
