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TIME

Trump cancels $810 million in Congress-approved spending 5 days before it expires, too late for a congressional vote

Political Guyentist · September 27, 20263 min read

TIME

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (Sen-R Maine) calls it unlawful and says she got no warning; GAO has said the maneuver is illegal.

The request. On Friday, Sept. 25, OMB Director Russell Vought sent Speaker Mike Johnson (Rep-R Louisiana) a request to cancel $810 million that Congress had already approved.

The tool. It is a "pocket rescission": a request to cancel funds, filed so late that Congress's 45-day review window runs past the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year. The money lapses with no vote.

The money. Four cuts account for $718 million of the total. The source reporting does not itemize the other $92 million.

  • HHS aid for refugees, asylees and unaccompanied minors: $567 million
  • International education grants and fellowships, labeled 'Woke International Education' by the White House: $70 million
  • HUD programs: $56 million
  • Education Department grants for migrant students: $25 million

Where it stands. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (Sen-R Maine) called the move unlawful and said she got no warning. Vice Chair Patty Murray (Sen-D Washington) called it "theft from the American people."

What the $567 million refugee cut takes, and what nobody knowsIt comes from $6.3 billion Congress passed in fiscal 2024, spendable only through Sept. 30, 2026.3 details
  • It comes from $6.3 billion Congress passed in fiscal 2024, spendable only through Sept. 30, 2026.
  • The request does not say how much of it was already promised to grantees.
  • The refugee office was still posting new grant offers on Aug. 4 and Aug. 5, 2026.

What we’re less sure of3 of 8 claims

Red take

Russell Vought, the White House budget director, was right to cancel $810 million before agencies could rush it out the door. The refugee office was still posting new grant offers on Aug. 4 and Aug. 5, spending money Congress passed in fiscal 2024. Yes, filing five days before Sept. 30 denies Congress a vote. Susan Collins, the Republican who chairs Senate Appropriations, deserved a warning. But Congress wrote the 45-day window in 1974, and this summer Republicans rejected a bar on late requests. They chose to keep this check. Take it away, and year-end spending rushes with the taxpayer's money go unchecked.

Blue take

Cancelling $810 million five days before it expires lets the president overrule Congress on spending, a power the Constitution gives Congress. The 1974 law lets a president ask Congress to cancel money. But filing on Sept. 25, with the House gone until after the midterms, turns that request into a decision no one can vote on. Congress did leave this gap open, and Republicans declined to close it this summer. An unlocked door is still not permission. GAO, Congress's auditor, calls the maneuver illegal. Last year's Supreme Court ruling rested on foreign-affairs power, which does not reach housing counseling. If it stands, every appropriation becomes a suggestion.