The Constitution! Congress has the power of the purse. If Congress can’t agree to pass a law about how to spend the money, the money doesn’t get spent.
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| Image courtesy Kazvorpal |
The Antideficiency Act, passed in 1870, forbids the government from incurring any expenses before Congress has approved them. Initially, it was passed to reign in presidents like Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.
For more:
- Steve Liesman, NBC News.com, 143-year-old law has Washington treading gingerly (Oct. 2, 2013)
- The Antideficiency Act, now codified at 31 U.S.C. 1341
The Law in Life 