Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) delivered pointed remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, raising concerns about how President Donald Trump’s administration is handling congressional appropriations—and what it could mean for government funding moving forward.
Speaking during debate over this year’s budget bills, Warren argued that the Trump administration has increasingly ignored the constitutional limits of executive authority, instead choosing to bypass Congress on spending decisions.
“I am not willing to be a helpmate on another one of Donald Trump’s scams,” Warren said, explaining why she voted against a bill that funds veterans programs and military bases. Despite her long-standing support for veterans, she said she could not support a bill that the president may not honor.
Warren laid out a three-part process she says is being used by the administration and its allies: First, Congress passes a bipartisan funding bill; second, the Trump administration identifies portions it does not support; and third, Republicans work to rescind or refuse to distribute funds already approved. She also pointed to the administration’s use of an obscure budgetary process known as “rescission,” which allows the White House to cancel certain funding allocations after they’ve been passed by Congress, provided it has 50 Senate votes.
“Republicans in the Senate bend the knee and follow Trump’s orders to cancel the money,” Warren said.
The Massachusetts senator cited examples from the past six months, including a proposed freeze on billions of dollars for programs ranging from food assistance to scientific research. Federal courts ultimately blocked those attempts, ruling they violated the Constitution.
Warren also raised concerns about the administration’s use of a procedural loophole that would allow it to propose funding cuts so late in the fiscal year that Congress would be unable to respond in time. According to Warren, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought has confirmed that the administration is considering that option.
The speech emphasized what Warren sees as a pattern of overreach: “Trump is getting a lot of help from his Republican team,” she said. “Russ Vought… has said the problem in Congress is too much bipartisanship.”
In her remarks, Warren reiterated that congressional power over spending is fundamental to the U.S. Constitution. “Our founders didn’t give the president the power to decide spending. A king can decide anything he wants—but not a president,” she said.
Warren also criticized Senate Republicans for asking Democrats to participate in the appropriations process while allegedly undermining bipartisan agreements after they are signed into law. “That’s like Republicans saying, ‘Let’s cut a deal and you sell us a car today,’ and then a month from now, they come back and steal the wheels,” she said.
With the government’s current funding set to expire at the end of September, Warren warned that Democrats would not support future spending bills without clear assurances that agreements will be honored. She called on fellow Democrats to withhold support unless Republicans commit to upholding the full terms of any deal.
“Democrats are willing to make a deal,” Warren said, “but only if Republicans include an agreement that they won’t take back that deal a few weeks later.”
She closed her speech by urging her Democratic colleagues to use the tools they have to enforce legislative authority. “I’m asking my Democratic colleagues to join me in using the power we have to fight back,” she said.
Warren’s speech comes amid growing tension over federal spending and how Congress should respond to executive actions that challenge its power. The speech also highlighted the stakes in upcoming negotiations, with potential implications for health care, food programs, education, and infrastructure funding.
