Rep. Dave Min Introduces Bill To Enforce Rule of Law, Hold Trump Administration Accountable

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Representatives Dave Min (CA-47), Sam Liccardo (CA-16), and Eugene Vindman (VA-7) introduced the Protecting Our Constitution and Communities Act (POCCA), an innovative new bill designed to empower Americans harmed by the Trump administration’s unlawful impoundment of federal dollars.

In his first 100 days, President Trump — primarily through Elon Musk’s Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) — has unlawfully impounded billions in congressionally approved funds, devastating communities across the country. Though only Congress has the power of the purse, and the 1974 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act (ICA) affirms this separation of budgetary powers, the only direct mechanism for the ICA’s enforcement lies in the hands of the Republican-controlled Comptroller. These lawmakers have forged a new and creative tool to help Americans and their local communities fight back.

“Congress, and only Congress, has the power to appropriate funds,” said Rep. Min. “Billionaires like Donald Trump and Elon Musk think they can ignore the Constitution and illegally withhold federal funds, but we won’t let them get away with their lawlessness. With the POCCA bill, we are creating a way for the American people to fight back and hold this administration accountable.”

“The Constitution isn’t negotiable,” said Liccardo. “The President must comply with appropriations laws, just as he must obey any other statute. This administration is trying to block funds explicitly allocated in law for the American people. If Congressional Republicans won’t step up and defend the Constitution, we’ll give the power back to the people to demand accountability.”

“Withholding federal funds from Virginia’s schools, firefighters, law enforcement, and farmers is not how we build safe communities,” said Vindman. “Congress is ready to fight for the power of the purse — a necessary check on the Executive branch that has always belonged to the Legislative body. This bill restores that. It will get money back to our neighbors and out of the hands of billionaires like Elon Musk," said Vindman. 

POCCA would bolster the ICA by creating a right of action for individuals, states, and local jurisdictions harmed by the administration’s repeated ICA violations. The bill also holds accountable any public official with decision-making authority who knowingly and intentionally violates the ICA — such as DOGE Head Elon Musk.

“No local government can succeed under the threat of sudden and arbitrary funding freezes by the executive branch,” said U.S. Conference of Mayors President, Columbus (OH) Mayor Andrew Ginther. “Many critical programs in America’s cities rely on competitive federal grants and the funding Congress has appropriated for them. Suddenly halting federal funds to programs supporting affordable housing, infrastructure, and public safety — without the consent of Congress — upends the constitutional system our founders put in place. America’s mayors applaud the representative's leadership in reasserting Congressional authority over federal funding and providing an avenue for local governments to protect their federal funds from being wrongfully frozen. We urge congressional leaders to advance this legislation and protect Congress’s control over federal spending.”

In addition to support from the U.S. Conference of Mayors, POCCA has received endorsements from numerous pro-democracy organizations and advocacy groups dedicated to challenging the administration’s unlawful impoundments.

“The bill gives communities a vital tool for combating President Trump’s illegal and likely unconstitutional efforts to withhold environmental funding lawfully appropriated by Congress,” said J.W. Glass, EPA policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “No president or their political cronies should be able to gut funding for the EPA and other agencies on a whim and put communities at risk of losing access to clean water and clean air. More pollution means more health risks for kids with asthma and other vulnerable people, and this legislation gives those most harmed by Trump the ability to go to court and get justice.”

“The power of the purse is one of Congress’s most essential tools. But over time, some of this power has been yielded to overzealous presidents,” said Faith Williams, Director of the Effective and Accountable Government Program at the Project on Government Oversight (POGO). “We welcome the introduction of the Protecting Our Constitution and Communities Act, which would strengthen this fundamental check on executive power. We urge bipartisan support and passage for this important reform.”

"When someone breaks the law, they should be held responsible, and those who have been hurt should have the right to seek accountability. And when federal laws are broken and people's lives are impacted, Americans must have a clear pathway to pursue justice. We're encouraged that the Protecting Our Constitution and Communities Act recognizes and supports these critical rights, and grateful to Rep. Liccardo for his leadership on this issue," said Heather K. Sager, spokesperson for the American Association for Justice.

Endorsers include: The American Association for Justice, American Federation of Government Employees, Project on Government Oversight, Democracy Defenders Action, and the Center for Biological Diversity.

The bill is cosponsored by: Raskin, Nadler, Fields, Ansari, Brownley, (Hank) Johnson, Beatty, Soto, Cohen, Cleaver, Sherman, Khanna, Hernandez, Huffman, Ruiz, Lynch, Tlaib, Mullin, Swalwell, Watson Coleman, Carter, (Susie) Lee, Goldman, Jacobs, Carbajal, McClain Delaney, (Julie) Johnson, Subramanyam, Cockett, (Tim) Kennedy, Strickland, Schneider, and Amo.

Bill text can be found here. 

###