From New York Times, I'm Michael Bobarro. This is the Daily.

Late last night, around midnight, President Trump achieved a major victory,

persuading both chambers of Congress to cancel billions of dollars

in spending that they've already approved. In the process, Congress is giving the president

the power that it and it alone is supposed to have. My colleague, Katie Edmondson, explains.

It's Friday, July 18th.

Katie, Congress has just, within the past few hours,

done what very few institutions in government do,

which is voluntarily give up power delegated to it by the Constitution.

Basically, it has voted to give away its own authority. That's right. I mean, what we're talking about here specifically is Congress's

spending authority. They are power of the purse. And what we are seeing them do is go through

this process called the rescission process. And what we are seeing them do is go through this process called the

rescission process. And that is when Congress decides essentially to claw back or cancel money

that lawmakers already approved to be spent. And in this case, what we're talking about specifically

is $9 billion for public broadcasting and for foreign aid.

And $9 billion is that a ton of money?

No, when it comes to the grand scheme of the federal budget, it's actually a minuscule pot of money that we're talking about.

Right.

But the reason that it really matters why we're talking about it right now is really what

you just said, Michael, because this was not Congress's idea.

In fact, Congress voted earlier this year to approve that funding.

Right.

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