By Bo Erickson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -With three days to go before a U.S. government shutdown, an advocacy group that tracks federal spending warns that about $8 billion approved by Congress for healthcare and education is at risk of going unused, held back by President Donald Trump’s administration.

The potential “backdoor cuts” identified by the litigation-focused group Protect Democracy are an example of the way the White House, in pushing to remake the government, is setting aside agreements reached by Congress, which the U.S. Constitution gives authority over spending.

It’s an approach that has helped to deepen the distrust with lawmakers that has prevented an agreement on funding the government into the new fiscal year that starts on Wednesday.

U.S. lawmakers are also taking notic

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