Trump rescinds nearly $1B in federal funding, bypassing congressional approval

President Trump on Friday canceled nearly $1 billion in federal appropriations by invoking a pocket rescission, a timing-based maneuver that halts funds so they expire at fiscal-year end before Congress can act. The White House said the rescissions were justified by lower border crossings and described a number of the affected programs as supporting non-citizens or as unnecessary. Most of the identified cuts fall under the Department of Health and Human Services and include programs that serve undocumented immigrants and unaccompanied children involved in court proceedings, as well as initiatives in HHS’s Minority Health office. The Department of Education’s Special Programs for Migrant Students was also listed among the reductions. Additional rescinded items included funding tied to gender-affirming care research, minority business development, and the Department of Justice’s Community Relations Services. The administration executed the action using a pocket rescission, which the U.S. Government Accountability Office defines as sending a rescission request so close to the end of the fiscal year that the funds lapse before Congress can respond. Under the Impoundment Control Act, the executive branch may temporarily withhold funding for up to 45 days while Congress considers rescission proposals; if lawmakers reject a request, the withheld funds must be released. A pocket rescission effectively prevents that congressional review by timing the request to coincide with year-end expiration. Republican Sen. Susan Collins, chair of the Appropriations Committee, called the move unlawful and accused the Office of Management and Budget of deliberately holding funds to facilitate the cancellation; she urged OMB to obligate the $1.3 billion appropriated for fiscal 2025 as intended. Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, similarly condemned the action, saying the administration violated the law by sending pocket rescissions without congressional approval. The GAO has previously concluded that pocket rescissions are inconsistent with the Impoundment Control Act. This was not the first time the tactic has been used: the article notes President Trump employed pocket rescissions in 2025 to cut roughly $5 billion from previously approved funding, and the Supreme Court at that time permitted the administration to retain money set to expire the following week.