On Friday, the Trump administration announced the withdrawal of nearly $1 billion in funding that had been approved by Congress. This was achieved through a rarely used and highly criticized legal maneuver to eliminate immigrant service programs, diversity initiatives, and other allocations that the White House deemed the most harmful governmental spending.
The action was formalized through a letter from the President to House Speaker Mike Johnson, detailing 11 rescissions of budget authority amounting to $810 million. However, the total, with additional allocations, approaches $1 billion.
The most substantial cuts—$567 million—target the Department of Health and Human Services' Refugee and Entrant Assistance fund, which supports programs for refugees, asylees, and unaccompanied minors.
The White House claimed these funds are surplus, attributing it to the success of its border policies that have allegedly significantly reduced irregular crossings.
Impact on Education and Community Programs
Other eliminated allocations include $25 million for migrant student educational programs under the Department of Education, $15 million from the Department of Homeland Security's pilot program for alternatives to detention, $10 million from the USCIS citizenship and integration program, $15 million from the Department of Justice's Community Relations Service—which the administration had already disbanded—$10 million from the Minority Business Development Agency, and around $9 million from a Treasury program that forgave debt to foreign countries in exchange for climate investments.
Controversial Legal Tactic
The tactic used, known as a "pocket rescission," involves sending Congress a notification of fund cancellation so close to the end of the fiscal year that the 45-day legal period for legislative review expires before the money is required to be disbursed.
Trump first employed this mechanism in nearly 50 years during 2025 when he blocked $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid. This time, he focuses on domestic spending, escalating the battle between the executive and legislative branches over control of the federal budget.
The Government Accountability Office, a congressional arm, has ruled that pocket rescissions are illegal under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974.
Bipartisan Congressional Backlash
Trump announced the cuts with only five days left in the fiscal year and with the House out of session, making any legislative review virtually impossible.
The response in Congress was unusually bipartisan. Republican Senator Susan Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, called the action illegal and pledged to work with colleagues to address "these illegal actions."
"Not only does the delay itself constitute an unreported impoundment to Congress, but it is also an usurpation of Congress's appropriation powers," Collins stated. "The Office of Management and Budget is an executive branch agency. It is not its role to decide which programs deserve funding."
Democratic Senator Patty Murray, minority leader of the same committee, was even more direct, describing the measure as "a theft from the American people, plain and simple."
"These are funds that Congress approved in a bipartisan manner and should be helping people, not being canceled by a president more focused on building a ballroom than investing in families," she added.
Broader Pattern of Cuts
This rescission is part of a broader pattern by the Trump administration to cut federal programs for immigrants, which includes executive orders, fund freezes, and numerous legal battles.
Earlier this week, a federal judge permanently struck down a 2025 directive that restricted immigrant access to programs like Head Start and community clinics.
The Supreme Court declined to block Trump's first pocket rescission in 2025, citing presidential authority in foreign policy as a factor in their decision, though it did not definitively resolve the legality of the mechanism.
Now, with the focus on domestic spending, the courts will need to decide if that same rationale applies when the canceled funds benefit people within the United States.
Frequently Asked Questions about Trump's Funding Cuts
What is a "pocket rescission"?
A "pocket rescission" is a legal maneuver where the administration sends a notification to Congress of fund cancellation very close to the fiscal year's end, so the 45-day period for legislative review expires before the funds need to be disbursed.
How much funding was cut from the Department of Health and Human Services?
The Department of Health and Human Services saw a reduction of $567 million from its Refugee and Entrant Assistance fund.
How did Congress react to the funding cuts?
The response from Congress was bipartisan, with members from both parties criticizing the cuts as illegal and a usurpation of Congress's appropriations powers.