The Government Accountability Office said Wednesday that the Trump administration violated the Impoundment Act by withholding congressionally appropriated funds to Head Start, the federally funded preschool program for children from low-income families.
The GAO, a congressional watchdog office, found that between Jan. 20 and April 15, the Department of Health and Human Services distributed about 65 percent of what it had distributed during the same period last year to Head Start grantees — a drop of more than $825 million. After that, the GAO said, reimbursements returned to their expected rates.
The Impoundment Act strictly limits the administration’s ability to defer or rescind appropriated dollars. The GAO found the administration’s actions were also inconsistent with the Head Start Act, which also requires funds to be disbursed. HHS administers Head Start.
“Once enacted, an appropriation is a law like any other, and the President must implement it by ensuring that appropriated funds are obligated and expended prudently during their period of availability unless and until Congress enacts another law providing otherwise,” the report said.
This was the third time the GAO told Congress that the administration unlawfully withheld funds; previously, the GAO said the administration had unlawfully frozen funds for electric vehicles and for the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The GAO said HHS did not respond to its request for factual information and the agency’s legal views.
HHS spokeswoman Vianca N. Rodriguez Feliciano told the Washington Post that the agency disputes the GAO’s conclusions.
“HHS did not impound Head Start funds,” she said in an email. “GAO should anticipate a forthcoming response from HHS to incorporate into an updated report.”
