Virginia Senator Tim Kaine went beyond the budget when tasked with questioning Trump’s latest administration appointee. President Trump has nominated Hal Duncan to be deputy director of the White House budget office. During his first of two confirmation hearings Duncan nodded to 2020 election denial conspiracies and also refused to rule out the future use of the controversial maneuver known as a “pocket rescission”. That maneuver essentially gives the administration an end-run around congress’ power of the purse and allows them to cancel funding without a vote. This same process was used in the beginning of the second Trump administration, with the backing of the Trump packed Supreme Court, to cancel $4.9 billion in foreign aid which had already been appropriated by congress.
