Congress Faces Tensions Over Funding And Governance

WASHINGTON — The top Republican and top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee sent the Trump administration a joint letter on Thursday, telling the Office of Management and Budget it’s on thin ice with the panel. The dispute has to do with how the White House is implementing the stopgap spending law that Congress approved earlier this month, which funds the federal government through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, and ranking member Patty Murray, D-Wash, wrote in the two-page letter that the way OMB is approaching a section on emergency designations is in sharp contrast to how other administrations have implemented it. “This (or substantially similar) language has been used in appropriations legislation for decades, and it has always been interpreted to give the President a binary choice: He must concur with all or none of Congress’s emergency designations,” Collins and Murray wrote. “Just as the President does not have a line-item veto, he does not have the ability to pick and choose which emergency spending to designate. This interpretation is consistent with congressional intent and is the most logical and consistent reading of the law.”

The two wrote that the Trump administration’s new “piecemeal approach” raises questions about whether emergency funding, including $8 billion in housing assistance, will be available as Congress intended. Collins and Murray appeared to imply that OMB not correcting course on the emergency designation would strain the working relationship between the Appropriations Committee and the Trump administration. The two will need to work together in the months ahead to draft the dozen appropriations bills for fiscal year 2026, which is slated to begin Oct. 1.

“We are concerned that sudden changes to OMB’s interpretation of long-standing statutory provisions could be disruptive to the appropriations process and make it more difficult for the Appropriations Committee to work in a collaborative fashion with the Administration to advance priorities on behalf of the American people,” they wrote. “Collaboration will become even more challenging when the Committee is first informed of such developments through the press, rather than notified through official channels, as was the case here.”

Meanwhile, over 20 country artists have signed an open letter calling on U.S. Congress to continue funding the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and help bring an end to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030. The letter, drafted by the ONE Campaign and The 2030 Collaborative, was published in the Nashville Tennessean this week and features signatures from major names across country and Americana, including Brad Paisley, Maren Morris, Sheryl Crow, Amy Grant, Darius Rucker, LeAnn Rimes, and members of Little Big Town.

“America, did you know that you have led the world in saving the lives of 26 million people from HIV/AIDS around the world?” the letter begins. “That’s thanks to a program called PEPFAR.” Launched in 2003 under President George W. Bush, PEPFAR is credited with drastically reducing global deaths from HIV/AIDS. The bipartisan initiative has provided antiretroviral medications to more than 20 million people globally, making it one of the most successful U.S. foreign aid programs in history.

But with recent political shifts, the future of PEPFAR’s funding hangs in the balance. “If Congress decides to cut funding for PEPFAR, people will not receive their medication. The virus will rebound. Infections will multiply. Millions will die,” the artists write. “And, the epidemic will grow exponentially worldwide — including a potential explosion in our own backyards.”

The letter emphasizes both the humanitarian and strategic importance of continued investment in the program: “This isn’t just the smart thing to do — for national security, economic, and public health reasons — this is the right thing to do.” Also lending support is Dr. Bill Frist, the former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, who stated that “PEPFAR is the ultimate example of American exceptionalism and compassion.”

In a separate political landscape, the Republican leaders of the 119th Congress are seen as increasingly deferential to President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. Trump is accused of usurping Congress's power, with Republicans offering little public outcry against the president slashing whole agencies and departments. The legislature’s new deference to the White House has taken a bizarre detour through Musk, who appears to have more control over the Republican agenda than House Speaker Mike Johnson.

According to a report by The New York Times, Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., reached out to Musk and DOGE to protect federal offices in his district. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune is trying to figure out how to make the 2017 tax cuts permanent without driving up the national debt by several trillion dollars over the next decade. House Speaker Mike Johnson is obeying Trump’s directive to deal simultaneously with an annual spending bill and reupping the tax cuts.

On the cryptocurrency front, the Trump family's latest venture could jeopardize bipartisan support for a GOP effort to lightly regulate the digital assets industry. A company started by Trump’s eldest sons announced last week that it would launch a new digital coin, which could allow Trump family members to profit off the GOP-led legislation that would help legitimize the assets.

Rep. Maxine Waters of California is expected to oppose the legislation at a committee vote this week if it does not include language that would block Trump and Musk from issuing stablecoins. Concerns from Waters could imperil broader support from her side of the aisle, highlighting the challenges of achieving bipartisanship in the Trump era.

Despite these hurdles, the legislation has garnered bipartisan support, teeing it up to become the first major crypto reform ever passed by Congress. Even some of the industry’s most ardent supporters in Congress acknowledge that the Trump family’s embrace of crypto has come with downsides for Republican lawmakers working to legislate on the issue.

As the GOP faces mounting challenges, the author of a recent opinion piece expressed concern for Republicans, stating that governing seems too hard for them. They control the government yet appear angry and upset, struggling to navigate the complexities of governance. The author criticized Trump for bypassing Congress and implementing changes through executive action, causing chaos and confusion.

In summary, the political landscape is fraught with tension as various factions within the government grapple with funding issues, legislative challenges, and the overarching influence of Trump and Musk. As both parties attempt to navigate these turbulent waters, the future of critical programs like PEPFAR and the stability of the legislative process remain uncertain.