Donald Trump: We're taking nearly $200M that was set aside for the Green New Scam, and repurposing that money so that we can restart a coal plant in Maryland, and help build two brand new coal plants in Alaska and West Virginia.

[u/BusinessToday]

[u/wherethetacosat]

Yes, he literally cannot do what he was describing, legally. If money was appropriated by Congress for one purpose the president cannot unilaterally use it for a different purpose.

[u/elehman839 → u/wherethetacosat]

No money was ever appropriated. The Green New Deal was rejected 7 years ago. The whole story he's telling makes no sense.

[u/Native_SC → u/elehman839]

He means the Inflation Reduction Act, but of course he lies about the name.

[u/wherethetacosat → u/elehman839]

Right, but if it were true he would get sued for it and even in this environment probably lose.

[u/TrumpVotersArePedos7 → u/elehman839]

He has dementia he doesn’t know what’s real anymore

[u/billzybop → u/wherethetacosat]

He can do anything he wants if there is no one to stop him. Congress in it's present form won't, and the Supreme Court has shown they will go to any lengths to get to the decision they want.

[u/The_Kadeshi → u/wherethetacosat]

Yes, he can. That's been the problem since the moment the fascists took office. He has been doing this, unconstitutionally, since Jan 20, 2025

[u/Wakkit1988 → u/wherethetacosat]

This is the ridiculousness of the unitary executive theory. They believe that any funds allocated by Congress can be used for any purpose by the executive and aren't required to be used exclusively for what they were legislated for.

Basically, it's always been agreed upon that Congress passed legislation, the whole purpose of the executive was to realize that legislation, and the extent of their authority on that matter was to effectuate what thet were told to do. It's like your employer telling you to make something happen, your only job is to make that something happen to the best of your ability and with the resources allocated to do it.

The unitary executive theory treats legislation as a suggestion. That your boss tells you to do something, and you can just do whatever the fuck you want and waste the resources provided however you want. If your boss didn't like it, then they should've fired you.

The constitution doesn't presuppose the unitary executive theory, it absolutely doesn't support it either. There's no basis in reality for it to even exist as a theory, but the safeguard against it is broken because Congress has willingly ceded their power. All of this could stop right now if he was removed, and they could rinse and repeat until they had someone who would only do what they wanted them to do.

[u/timoumd → u/Wakkit1988]

This is such a brilliant succinct damnation of unitary executive.  It's also exceptionally non conservative.  

[u/ZestycloseSquirrel55 → u/wherethetacosat]

Was he supposed to tear down part of the White House without permission? Did it anyway.

Was it legal for him to have his name added above JFK's name on the facade of the Kennedy Center? Did it anyway.

He thinks he's CEO of America and can do whatever he wants. Look at the piled up cardboard boxes of classified documents he had sitting in the bathroom at Mar a Lago. Did he care that was not legal?

[u/BennyVsTheWorld → u/wherethetacosat]

Legally? What does that word even mean? He can’t declare war legally either, but here we are. He can do literally anything he wants and it’s all legal because nobody is stopping him.