Court Orders Trump Administration to Restore Spending Database

The United States Office of Management and Budget restored a public database detailing federal agency funding apportionments on Friday night following a unanimous order from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The Trump administration had taken the website offline in March, arguing that the data contained sensitive pre-decisional information that posed national security threats.

The court rejected these claims, with Judge Karen Henderson ruling that congressional power over appropriations is paramount. The database was originally mandated by a 2022 legislative funding deal requiring an automated system for posting apportionment documents. While the site is back online, the United States Department of Justice continues to appeal a district court ruling that the website's removal violated federal law.

Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups, including Protect Democracy and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, sued to compel the restoration. Senator Patty Murray criticized the administration for the delay, characterizing the revival as a partial restoration and demanding full compliance. Protect Democracy and other critics are currently scrutinizing the restored data to determine if required information remains missing, suggesting the administration may have used apportionments to unlawfully delay spending.