The federal government may still be shut down, but that hasn’t stopped President Donald Trump from promising some eye-wateringly large checks.

How can Trump continue to fund his pet programs even though federal appropriations ran out roughly three weeks ago? As it turns out, Trump is often leaning on creative accounting and a slush fund that legal experts argue may violate federal law.

With the federal shutdown expected to drag on, Trump tasked Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought with finding ways to keep money flowing without congressional approval—which is often required—and Vought was apparently happy to oblige.

“OMB is making every preparation to batten down the hatches and ride out the Democrats’ intransigence,” the OMB wrote in an Oct. 14 post on X. “Pay the tr

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