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Manu Raju: Talked to a bunch of House Rs this AM in Doral about the WH move to freeze federal aid. Many are defending Trump — including the chairman of House Appropriations Committee, Tom Cole, who told me he doesn’t “have a problem” with the White House decision pause the aid. “I think that’s probably what you ought to do when you’re coming in as a new administration,” he said. When asked about the legality of the White House directing agencies not to spend money appropriated by Congress, Cole called it a “legitimate exercise of executive oversight” and noted that appropriations directed by Congress are “not a law.” “I’m not a lawyer, | can’t pontificate on what’s legal but | suspect what’s happening is what most Republicans would be supportive of,” he said. “Appropriations is not a law, it’s the directive of Congress.” “The lawyers disagree about what’s law and what’s not. Right know, | think it’s a legitimate exercise of executive oversight in areas they now control,” he added.