impoundment
impoundment. 1. The action of impounding; the state of being impounded. See IMPOUND. 2. Constitutional law. The President’s refusal to spend funds appropriated by Congress. • Although not authorized by the Constitution and seldom used, the impoundment power effectively gives the executive branch a line-item veto over legislative spending. [Cases: United States 82(1). C.J.S. United […]