Overview

• A unanimous three-judge D.C. Circuit panel denied the Trump administration’s bid to keep the federal spending database hidden and lifted the stay on its restoration.
• The panel gave the administration until August 15 to reinstate the public database, imposing a firm deadline for compliance.
• Judge Karen Henderson’s opinion, joined by Judge Robert Wilkins with Judge Bradley Garcia concurring, said concealing the data defied Congress’s appropriations authority and eroded the separation of powers.
• The ruling applies the Impoundment Control Act and existing transparency laws requiring agencies to publish detailed spending and apportionment data.
• Because this is not a final decision on the underlying dispute, the case could still be reheard en banc by the D.C. Circuit or taken to the Supreme Court.