White House / President·Spending
White House pocket-rescinds about $810 million; Collins calls the move unlawful
Correction (Sep 26, 2026): We got this wrong. An earlier version said in its headline that the White House pocket-rescinded “about $810 million” and in its text that it would cancel “nearly $1 billion,” without explaining the difference; in fact “nearly $1 billion” is the White House’s own description, and the program amounts itemized in its release total $810 million, the figure Sen. Susan Collins cited. We apologize for the error.
Editor’s note (Sep 26, 2026): We fell short of our standards. An earlier version of our analysis said taxpayers “should not forever fund NGO pipelines that treat the border as a client list”; it now says taxpayers are right to question open-ended federal grants to outside groups that serve migrants. The facts are unchanged. We apologize for falling short of our standards.
The White House said Friday evening it is using a “pocket rescission” under the Impoundment Control Act to cancel what it described as “another nearly $1 billion” in congressionally appropriated funds; the program amounts itemized in its release add up to $810 million, the same total Sen. Susan Collins cited for the package Congress received and the figure in our headline. The package includes $567 million in HHS services the administration said went to programs and NGOs serving refugees, asylees and other non-citizens, plus additional cuts at DHS, Education, HUD, DOJ and other accounts detailed in its briefing. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, said lawmakers received an $810 million package “without warning or consultation,” that OMB appeared to withhold funds for months, and that the Government Accountability Office has concluded pocket rescissions are unlawful; she called any rescission without congressional approval “a clear violation of the law.” The fiscal year ends Wednesday; CBS News noted the Supreme Court last year allowed a prior foreign-aid pocket rescission to proceed while saying that order was not a final merits ruling.
- The White HousePresident Trump Takes Historic Action to Eliminate Wasteful and Harmful Spending
- CBS NewsTrump cancels nearly $1 billion in spending approved by Congress, a move some lawmakers called illegal
- ABC NewsWhite House orders over $800M in funds rescinded; Collins calls it 'clear violation' of law