I gather that congress required the creation of USAID and provided funds for it through the Foreign Assistance Act. Through that act the President is given power (and requirement?) to execute the mission, with a lot of rules to guide the execution. So if the USAID agency is being dismantled, is the President not still required to fulfill the mission of the Foreign Assistance Act?
Some examples from the text of the Foreign Assistance Act:
Title I — Development Loan Fund
The President shall establish a fund to be known as the "Development Loan Fund " to be used by the President to make loans pursuant to the authority contained in this title. (b) The President is authorized to make loans payable as to principal and interest in United States dollars on such terms and conditions as he may determine, in order to promote the economic development of less developed friendly countries and areas, with emphasis upon assisting long-range plans and programs designed to develop economic resources and increase productive capacities.
Title II — DEVELOPMENT GRANTS AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION
The President is authorized to furnish assistance on such terms and conditions as he may determine in order to promote the economic development of less developed friendly countries and areas, with emphasis upon assisting the development of human resources through such means as programs of technical cooperation and development.
I prefer thoughtful answers. And as always, lets keep things civil for the sake of the mods.
The only remedy Congress ultimately has is impeachment, and we’ve already seen that’s not happening based on the previous attempts.
In addition to that, if Congress is fine with a law being broken by the President, they’ll just let them. Pretty much every President has violated the Leahy amendment for example.