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Seizing Powers From Congress and the States

Spending, tariffs, war and troops: powers the Constitution gives Congress and the states, taken by the President.

13 entries • 464 sources

Cases in This Category

Trump's Boat Strikes

Trump Ordered a Suspected Drug Boat Destroyed Instead of Stopped, and Announced 11 Dead

Trump chose military killing over arrest for suspected drug boats and announced 11 deaths in the September 2, 2025 strike.

39 sourcesExplore →
DOGE Agency Shutdowns

Trump Created DOGE and Backed Its Dismantling of USAID. About 6,780 Aid Awards Were Terminated

Trump created DOGE, publicly put Elon Musk in charge, and a month later claimed his administration had effectively eliminated USAID.

42 sourcesExplore →
Funding Threats

Trump Tied Billions in Grants to His Policies; Two Courts Struck Down the Conditions

Trump told Maine's governor her state would get no federal funding unless she followed his order.

24 sourcesExplore →
The Gateway Freeze

Trump Froze Grants for a $16.04 Billion Rail Tunnel Over Democrats; a Judge Ruled It Unlawful

Trump used a public rail tunnel's funding against his political opponents, and said so.

12 sourcesExplore →
Frozen Federal Funds

Trump Withheld Billions Congress Had Funded, and Its Auditor Again Found the Law Broken

Trump's administration withheld money Congress had funded for children, scientists, schools and public health.

42 sourcesExplore →
Withholding Expiring Funds

Trump Withheld $4.9 Billion in Expiring Funds, Then Did It Again With $810 Million

Twice, Trump asked Congress to cancel money shortly before its spending deadline while his budget office withheld it, using expiration to bypass Congress's approval.

35 sourcesExplore →
Voice of America

Trump's Cuts Silenced Voice of America in 49 Languages While Taxpayers Paid Idle Staff

Trump ordered the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) to shrink, and his appointees stopped every Voice of America broadcast.

50 sourcesExplore →
The Replacement Tariffs

The Supreme Court Rejected Trump's Emergency Tariffs. He Signed a 10 Percent Replacement the Same Day.

The Supreme Court held on February 20, 2026, that an emergency law did not let President Trump impose tariffs.

47 sourcesExplore →
Trump's Shutdown Payroll

Trump Paid Troops From Research Money and Announced a Donor's $130 Million Check

During the 2025 shutdown, Trump ordered troops paid from other appropriations, and his administration moved research money to payroll.

22 sourcesExplore →
The TikTok Delays

Trump Signed Five Orders Not to Enforce the TikTok Law. Congress Allowed One Extension.

The Supreme Court rejected a First Amendment challenge to the TikTok law on January 17, 2025.

15 sourcesExplore →
Trump's Emergency Tariffs

Trump Imposed an Estimated $166 Billion in Tariffs Under a Law That Authorized None

Trump taxed imports from trading partners worldwide under an emergency law, exercising a taxing power Congress had not given him.

39 sourcesExplore →
Troops Over State Objections

Trump Ordered Troops Into Three States Over Governors' Objections. The Estimated Cost: $240 Million

In 2025 President Trump took National Guard troops from California, Oregon and Illinois into federal service over their governors' objections.

24 sourcesExplore →
Wars Without Congress

Trump Launched the Iran War Without Congress's Authorization: More Than 10,000 Targets Struck in 25 Days

Donald Trump ordered the February 28, 2026 campaign against Iran on his own claimed constitutional authority; Congress had not authorized it.

73 sourcesExplore →