ProPublica investigation reveals Trump officials defied FY2026 appropriations, spending 5% of congressionally-mandated global health funds

On June 22, 2026, ProPublica published an investigation finding that Trump administration officials had broadly refused to comply with the FY2026 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, signed into law by Trump on February 3, 2026. The law directed $9.4 billion for global health programs including PEPFAR, tuberculosis, and malaria treatment, more than $5 billion in emergency humanitarian aid, and required regular, detailed spending reports to Congress.

The Office of Management and Budget, led by Director Russell Vought, labeled more than $500 million in congressionally-directed global health funds as "unallocated," requiring OMB approval before the State Department could spend them — a maneuver legal experts told ProPublica likely violates the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. The State Department obligated approximately 5% of directed global health funds through March 2026, far below the typical 50% pace at that point in the fiscal year. Jeremy Lewin, a 29-year-old DOGE-affiliated lawyer performing undersecretary duties without Senate confirmation, required personal approval for routine payments and rarely communicated plans to career staff, creating what officials described as a stranglehold on disbursements. State Department officials made little or no effort to spend funds earmarked for family planning ($524 million), nutrition ($165 million), and neglected tropical diseases ($109 million). Congressional oversight letters from senators went unanswered and required spending reports went unfiled. Legal experts described the conduct as "a fundamental threat to the rule of law," noting that under the Impoundment Control Act, Congress — not the executive — controls how appropriated funds are spent.