Money talks, and in the U. S. government, it's Congress that speaks the loudest.  The Constitution spells it out in black and white.  It's all about the money.  Congress has the power to control federal spending.  This is a basic rule of the game, written clearly in the Constitution.  Presidents can only be elected for two terms and there are three branches of government.  The power to control the money is given to the Congress.  This is written in Article I, Section 9, Clause 7: "No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law. "

We can see this principle being challenged by the President and his wealthy friends.  They are trying to get around this rule.  They use social media to pressure politicians, they stop funds from being used as planned, and they even set up a new department to do this.  All of these tactics have something in common.  They are not democratic.  They are not fair.   They could lead to big problems for the government.

The President and his wealthy friends are trying to take control of the money.  They are trying to influence the big decisions.  This has already happened.  At the end of 2023, a bill to prevent a government shutdown was almost defeated.  This bill had money for disaster relief and other important things.  It was almost stopped by a billionaire.  This billionaire pressured Republicans to change their minds.

We need to be careful.  We need to watch out for these tactics.  They could lead to big problems.  They could lead to a lot of unfairness.  They could lead to a lot of problems for the government.  We need to make sure that Congress stays in charge of the money.  We need to make sure that the rules are followed.

We should ask: Why is this happening?  Why are these tactics being used?  What can we do to stop them?  We need to think critically about these questions.  We need to make sure that the government works fairly.  We need to make sure that the rules are followed.

We should also ask: What can we do to stop this?  We need to think critically about these questions.  We need to make sure that the government works fairly.  We need to make sure that the rules are followed.  We need to make sure that the power stays with the people.  We need to make sure that the power stays with the Congress.

Congress's Real Power: The Money

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