But the spending freeze – along with other key moves early in this presidency, including the firing of Justice Department prosecutors and a bid to repeal birthright citizenship – also reflects Trump’s view that the presidency has almost unlimited power and he can simply decide what is legal and what isn’t.

As Trump's funding freeze heads to court, he hopes judges grant him the power of impoundment. What is impoundment? And why does it matter?

The Impoundment Control Act is a procedural law for how the president can withhold funds in certain specific circumstances for limited periods of time.

President Donald Trump’s dramatic pause of federal grants and loans is queuing up a Supreme Court showdown over the Constitution that will test the court’s recently muscular commitment to curb executive power.