Trump Cancels $810 Million in Congress-Approved Spending Through Rare ‘Pocket Rescission’

President Donald Trump has moved to unilaterally cancel $810 million in spending approved by Congress, the White House announced on Friday, deploying a rarely used budgetary maneuver known as a “pocket rescission.”

According to Reuters, the rescission package targets refugee and migrant services, education programs for migrant students, minority business development, housing counseling and environmental debt-relief grants. The largest single cut — $567 million — comes from Health and Human Services accounts that serve refugees, asylees and other non-citizens, according to the White House statement.

The administration argues the funds are no longer needed because illegal border crossings have fallen sharply, and has described the spending as wasteful and ideologically driven.

Under the Impoundment Control Act, a president must give Congress 45 days to approve a rescission request. A pocket rescission exploits the end of the fiscal year — five days away — so lawmakers cannot respond before the money expires.

Senator Susan Collins, the Republican chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, called the move “illegal,” accusing the White House budget office of undermining Congress’s constitutional power of the purse. According to AP, Collins said she would work with colleagues to challenge what she termed illegal actions.

The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office has concluded that pocket rescissions are unlawful. Last year the Supreme Court allowed a similar $4.9 billion cancellation to proceed while litigation continued, without ruling on the merits, according to AP.

Sources:

• Reuters: Trump seeks to withhold $800 million in Congress-approved funds
• AP: ‘Illegal actions’: White House orders cancelation of nearly $1B in approved spending
• NPR: What to know about the $810 million in spending canceled by President Trump