Trump cancels nearly $1bn in funding approved by Congress
President using rare power to revoke expenditure with bipartisan approval to aid immigrant services
TL;DR
- President Trump is canceling almost $1 billion in congressionally approved funding.
- The cuts target immigrant services, refugee aid, and diversity initiatives.
- The White House claims funds are no longer necessary due to decreased illegal border crossings.
- Senator Susan Collins condemned the move as "illegal actions" and a "usurpation of Congress's appropriations powers."
- Senator Patty Murray called the action "theft from the American people" and stated that Republican votes are being ignored.
- The administration used a "pocket rescission," announcing the cuts five days before the federal fiscal year ends, which the Government Accountability Office has deemed illegal.
- This follows a similar "pocket rescission" of $4.9 billion in foreign aid last year.
- The move is seen as part of a broader pattern by the Trump administration to exert greater control and erode Congress's power.