The Trump administration announced on Friday that it is canceling $810 million in spending previously approved by Congress for various programs aimed at illegal immigrants, diversity initiatives, and similar efforts. The administration argues these programs do not serve American citizens.
In this process, President Donald Trump is utilizing a budget strategy known as a “pocket rescission”—a move the administration believes it has the authority to make, despite Congress and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) claiming it goes beyond the president’s powers.
Most of the cuts, around $567 million, target Health and Human Services programs that provided support to NGOs aiding refugees, asylees, and other noncitizens. Additionally, the White House plans to revoke $25 million meant for education programs for migrant students, asserting that these funds back events like “an LGBT youth summit” and “Therapy for Latinx workshops.”
Moreover, the administration plans to cut $70 million from programs it deems “Woke International Education,” which it claims facilitate the arrival of foreign students and faculty to the U.S. Some of this funding has gone towards doctoral dissertations focused on issues within the “queer and trans communities” in other countries.
Further cuts include a Justice Department initiative aimed at reducing racial tensions, a business development program for minority entrepreneurs, counseling services from the Housing and Urban Development Department, along with various Health and Human Services grants criticized by the administration as “outright harmful and blatantly ideological.”
The announcement indicated that many of these organizations are led by individuals who formerly served in President Barack Obama’s administration.
Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine facing a challenging re-election, expressed her disapproval of Trump’s cuts, labeling them as “the most recent attempt by this Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to undermine Congress’s Constitutional power of the purse.”
The recent pocket rescission suggested by the White House comes as the federal fiscal year draws to a close on September 30. Collins believes this timing was intentional by the Trump administration, as any unspent funds will expire prior to Congress’s 45-day review period.
Additionally, the House of Representatives will not be in session until after the November elections, making it particularly hard for Congress to respond effectively. Collins pointed out that the independent GAO has determined pocket rescissions to be unlawful under the Impoundment Control Act and stated her intention to collaborate with others to challenge these actions.
Under the Trump administration, the OMB has maintained that the Impoundment Control Act does not prevent the president from rescinding funds at the end of the fiscal year. This has been echoed by OMB Director Russell Vought.
A summary from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) noted that the GAO has compared pocket rescissions to a line-item veto, which the Supreme Court has deemed unconstitutional as it allows a president to erase parts of legislation without congressional consent.
Last year, Trump executed the first pocket rescission in nearly five decades, aiming to cancel $4.9 billion in approved foreign aid. The Supreme Court did not take action to block it, noting the president’s authority over foreign affairs while allowing litigation to proceed.
The previous instance of a pocket rescission occurred during former President Jimmy Carter’s administration, who proposed it well before the 45-day congressional review deadline.
