The Media Line: Trump Moves To Cancel $810 Million in Spending Approved by Congress 

Trump Moves To Cancel $810 Million in Spending Approved by Congress 

By The Media Line Staff 

President Donald Trump moved Friday to cancel $810 million in federal spending previously approved by Congress, using a disputed budget maneuver that would allow the money to expire before lawmakers have time to act on the proposed cuts. The White House said the reductions target immigration services, diversity programs, education, housing initiatives and other spending it considers wasteful. 

The largest proposed cut is $567 million from Department of Health and Human Services programs serving refugees, asylees and other noncitizens. The administration said declining illegal border crossings had reduced the need for some of the funding. Other proposed rescissions include $70 million for international education programs, $56 million for housing counseling, $28 million for health research and $25 million for migrant education. 

President Trump is invoking the Impoundment Control Act through a mechanism known as a “pocket rescission.” Ordinarily, Congress has 45 days to consider a presidential request to cancel appropriated funds. Because the current fiscal year ends Sept. 30, lawmakers would have little opportunity to reject the proposal and require that the money be spent before it expires. 

The Government Accountability Office, Congress’ nonpartisan auditing agency, has concluded that pocket rescissions are not permitted under the law because the president cannot withhold appropriated money until it expires without congressional approval. The administration disputes that interpretation. 

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, criticized the move, saying, “Any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law.” She said the Office of Management and Budget had withheld the money for months before submitting the rescission package. 

President Trump used the same approach in 2025 to block about $5 billion in foreign aid and international organization funding. The Supreme Court allowed those cuts to proceed while stressing that its order was not a final ruling on the legality of pocket rescissions.