President Donald Trump has announced a plan to cancel over $800 million in funding that Congress had approved for various programs including refugee assistance, migrant education, and initiatives aimed at promoting diversity.
On Friday, the White House revealed it would use a budgetary mechanism known as a pocket rescission to revoke $810 million in allocated funds, as reported by CBS News. The most significant cut, amounting to $567 million, impacts Health and Human Services (HHS) budgets that supported nonprofit organizations assisting refugees and asylum seekers, according to the administration.
Administration officials claimed that the funds were no longer necessary due to a significant decrease in illegal border crossings attributed to Trump’s policies. They characterized the spending as wasteful and detrimental to taxpayers. (RELATED: Lisa Murkowski ‘Strongly’ Objects To Trump Admin Quest To Cancel $5 Billion In Foreign Aid)
The reductions also included $70 million earmarked for programs labeled “Woke International Education,” alongside $56 million in Housing and Urban Development (HUD) counseling grants and $25 million for migrant education programs. Previously, these funds facilitated initiatives like an LGBT youth summit and “Therapy for Latinx” workshops.
Among the organizations impacted was Southwest Key Programs, which had received $40 million and is currently facing a lawsuit from the Justice Department for allegations of sexual harassment and abuse involving unaccompanied minors. Another affected group was Global Refuge, a nonprofit focused on immigration, led by a former policy director for Michelle Obama.
The funding cuts have sparked criticism from Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee. She stated that this action undermines Congress’s Constitutional authority over financial matters and emphasized that there was no prior notice given to lawmakers, as reported by CBS News.
Without warning or consultation, Congress just received an $810 million package of pocket rescissions from the Administration. This is the most recent attempt by this Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to undermine Congress’s Constitutional power of the purse.
This move…
— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) September 25, 2026
Collins referenced the Government Accountability Office’s findings, which indicate that pocket rescissions contravene the Impoundment Control Act. Additionally, Rep. Rosa DeLauro from Connecticut, who leads the House Appropriations Committee for Democrats, accused the administration of appropriating funds meant for communities, as indicated by CBS News.
The White House submitted this budget request just days before the fiscal year ends on September 30, allowing the funds to lapse before Congress has a chance to take action. With the House out of session until after the November elections, lawmakers have limited time to respond, as noted by Fox News.
Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, has contended that the Impoundment Control Act does not prohibit a president from canceling funds late in the fiscal year, according to Fox News.
Trump previously employed this maneuver in 2025 to retain $4.9 billion in foreign aid, marking the first pocket rescission in nearly fifty years. The Supreme Court allowed that cancellation to proceed without ruling on its legality, as reported by ABC News.
