WATCH: Rep. DeLauro accuses OMB director Vought of ‘utter disregard and disrespect’ for the law

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., accused Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought and the Trump administration of flagrantly violating laws that give Congress spending power.

Vought’s appearance before the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday came a day after President Donald Trump asked Congress to claw back $9.4 billion in money it had already approved, much of it for foreign aid or programs the administration has described as liberal-leaning or wasteful.

The request sought to formalize some of the cuts and freezes recommended by the Department of Government Efficiency.

“The Constitution confers the power of the purse, the power to make appropriations in law to the Congress. It is right there. It's Article 1 Section 9, Clause 7. The courts have repeatedly ruled that there is no inherent authority for the president to impound funds,” said DeLauro, ranking member of the committee.

“You have shown nothing but utter disregard and disrespect for this committee, for Congress as a whole and for the laws we have enacted,” she added.

Vought’s appearance also comes as the president tries to push his “One Big Beautiful Bill,” focused on preserving tax cuts, through the Senate. An estimate from the Congressional Budget Office released Wednesday suggested the legislation’s $3.7 trillion in tax cuts would also add $2.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. The estimate also says 10.9 million more people would be without health insurance, largely as a result of changes to Medicaid.

Republicans have argued the changes are necessary to eliminate waste and abuse in the federal government.

“You posit yourself a defender of everyday Americans and the champion for restoring an imagined version of America, you consider morally and virtuously superior to the country we actually live in. I do not believe your actions, which are inflicting direct harm on the people you claim to support, is in any way reflective of righteous values or of America's constitutional tradition,” DeLauro said.

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