Trump seeks to withhold $800 million in Congress-approved funds

# What happened

Friday it would withhold more than $800 million in spending that Congress had approved. The administration identified programs tied to immigration, race and education among those it intends to cancel. Specific areas named include refugee assistance, racial-minority business development and overseas conservation programs.

# How the administration is trying to do it

The White House said it will deploy a rarely used mechanism called a "pocket rescission." That procedure allows the executive branch to attempt to rescind previously appropriated funds without prior congressional approval. The administration framed the move as an effort to cut "wasteful and harmful government spending that does not benefit American citizens," and said some of the targeted programs supported illegal immigration, stoked racial tensions and promoted alarmist environmental approaches.

# Immediate political response

Senator Susan Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and is a member of the president's party, described the step as illegal. Collins said the Office of Management and Budget is attempting to undermine Congress's constitutional power of the purse and argued that rescinding appropriated funds without congressional approval violates the law.

# Legal context and precedent

This action follows litigation over a similar executive move last year when the president used the pocket rescission technique to withhold $4.9 billion in foreign aid that Congress had approved. The Supreme Court declined last year to block that earlier rescission while litigation proceeded, leaving the legal question unresolved and indicating there is active and ongoing judicial review of the tactic.

# What this means next

Expect a legal and political contest. Lawmakers who view appropriations as their constitutional authority are likely to push back, and litigation could resume or expand. The prior Supreme Court decision not to block a previous rescission while cases continued shows courts have so far allowed the executive branch to proceed while legal challenges move forward, but it does not resolve the ultimate legality of using pocket rescissions to cancel funds Congress approved.

# Who is affected

The rescission targets items across domestic and international programs. Refugee assistance and programs aimed at racial-minority business development are explicitly named, as are some overseas conservation efforts. Agencies and organizations that rely on those appropriations could face slowed or halted activity if the rescissions take effect and are upheld.

# Bottom line