The White House announced on Friday that President Trump is rescinding nearly $1 billion in spending that Congress had previously approved, targeting funds designated for immigrant services, refugee organizations, and diversity-focused initiatives. The administration’s Office of Management and Budget characterized the cuts as eliminating “the most harmful government spending.” Officials stated that a significant portion of the reductions affect services for immigrants, including non-profit organizations serving refugees and unaccompanied minors, arguing that the funds are no longer necessary due to declining illegal border crossings.
The decision has drawn criticism from both sides of the political aisle. Republican Senator Susan Collins, who chairs the Senate appropriations committee and is facing a competitive re-election campaign, condemned the action as occurring without warning or consultation. Collins characterized the move as an illegal impoundment and stated that the administration was usurping Congress’s constitutional appropriations powers. Democratic Senator Patty Murray, vice-chair of the appropriations committee, called the cuts “theft from the American people” and criticized the administration for prioritizing other spending over these programs.
The maneuver is known as a “pocket rescission,” a procedural move that Trump announced with only five days remaining in the federal fiscal year, making Congressional review of the cuts all but impossible. The Government Accountability Office has previously deemed this tactic illegal. Trump employed a similar pocket rescission a year earlier, blocking $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, though the Supreme Court declined to block those actions, citing the president’s authority over foreign affairs.
The rescission represents part of a broader expansion of executive authority under the Trump administration. Officials have also initiated federal workforce reductions, implemented historic tariff increases, and began military action in Iran without congressional approval, shifting responsibility to the judicial branch to determine the boundaries of presidential power.
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