Just about anything a president wants to do – such as go to war, start an infrastructure project, or strengthen law enforcement – requires financing from Congress. But increasingly, the government’s money hasn’t been going where Congress says it should. The Trump administration is using unprecedented tactics to test the boundaries of how it can control taxpayer money that Congress has budgeted, threatening one of Congress’ core functions under the Constitution – and one of its strongest checks on executive power. Why We Wrote This President Donald Trump is taking more control over federal spending, and Congress is ceding some of its power of the purse. They could be setting a new precedent that permanently expands a president’s power. The efforts are a direct assertion of presidential power, often wielded in the name of taming wasteful spending. But the actions also reach into Congress itself.…