A heated exchange took place at a House Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday, with Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) aggressively questioning Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought over the Trump Administration's budget proposals.
DeLauro expressed outrage over the proposed 40 percent increase to the defense budget and a 10 percent cut to non-defense spending, accusing the administration of violating the law and politicizing federal grant awards.
As Vought attempted to respond to her concerns, DeLauro launched into a two-minute tirade, lecturing him about the funding reviews and cuts to "science" and accusing the administration of ignoring the Constitution.
DeLauro claimed that the administration's actions are a "government-wide problem" and that the cuts are "wrong" and will not be allowed to happen. She also accused the administration of violating the Constitution every day and ignoring the appropriations process.
Vought attempted to defend the administration's budget proposals, citing the need for oversight and review of federal dollars, but DeLauro cut him off and continued her rant, declaring that no president has the right to violate the Constitution and that the administration is doing so regularly.
The exchange highlighted the deep divisions between the Trump Administration and Congressional Democrats over spending and budget priorities.
DeLauro's aggressive questioning and Vought's defense of the administration's proposals suggest that the budget battle will be a contentious one in the coming months.
