Ignoring a law Trump signed himself

Another move raising alarms involves the White House disputing whether furloughed federal workers should receive back pay once the shutdown ends. That’s despite the existence of a law — the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 — which requires back pay and was signed by Trump himself during his previous shutdown in 2019. Now, the administration is interpreting it in a way that could deny hundreds of thousands of workers their guaranteed wages.

Reallocating tariff revenue

In another controversial shift, the administration plans to tap into leftover tariff revenue to temporarily extend WIC, a food assistance program for low-income mothers and children. However, that revenue was already designated to support child nutrition programs, raising questions about whether this is simply another budget shell game.

Political calculations behind paying troops

During a White House Q&A Tuesday, Trump boasted that he found “extra” money inside the Pentagon budget to pay the military and suggested a wealthy donor even offered to cover missed paychecks. Redirecting money to pay troops is popular and politically safe — even Democrats won’t object — but legal experts say the method of shifting funds without congressional approval is on shaky ground.

House Speaker Mike Johnson waved off legal concerns entirely:

“If Democrats want to go to court and challenge troops being paid — bring it,” he said.

Workers feel the pain while Trump escalates

While Trump highlights military pay, Democrats are instead focused on a different crisis: workers losing their jobs. At a Washington rally, lawmakers from Virginia and Maryland slammed the White House for following through on threats to lay off federal workers during the shutdown — an unprecedented step.

Senator Chris Van Hollen accused Trump of trying to “terrorize the federal workforce.” More than 750,000 federal workers are furloughed, but over 3,500 have already been laid off, prompting unions to sue the administration in federal court.

Vice President JD Vance defended the layoffs, claiming they were needed to keep programs like WIC operating — even though no federal law connects WIC funding to worker layoffs, and the 2019 law clearly states federal workers must be paid retroactively once funding is restored.

Defying the Constitution’s spending power

Critics warn the administration is ignoring the Constitution’s clear rule: Congress controls federal spending, not the White House. But Trump and his budget director Russell Vought are openly rejecting that framework — proudly rerouting and withholding funding to achieve political goals.

Rep. Jamie Raskin said Tuesday:

“Spending laws are still laws. This White House doesn’t get to impound or redirect money to cover up its own political negligence.”

The White House plan is simple, according to Vought’s post on X:

“Pay the troops. Pay law enforcement. Continue the RIFs (layoffs). And wait.”

Trump sees federal funds as his personal leverage

Trump left no doubt that he believes federal money flows through him — and can be used as a weapon.

During his meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei, Trump touted a $20 billion bailout of Argentina’s struggling currency — a move his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent engineered. Critics point out that the deal benefits China, which has replaced the U.S. as Argentina’s main soybean customer — a shift that has enraged American farmers.

Moments later, Trump threatened to strip New York City of federal funds if voters elect Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as mayor next month.

“I’m not going to send a lot of money to New York. I don’t have to,” Trump said. “The money comes through the White House.”

He went further:

“The funding for New York and for every place comes through the White House. And I’m very generous — but I wouldn’t be generous to a communist.”

That quote captures everything: Trump increasingly treats the federal purse as if it belongs to him, not Congress or the American people.