NPR Politics Chat Takes Up Trump Press Fight and $810 Million Rescission Bid
President Donald Trump is in a fight with parts of the White House press corps while trying to cancel $810 million in congressionally approved health and education spending.
That pairing led NPR's Politics Chat on Weekend Edition Sunday, reported by Ayesha Rascoe and Mara Liasson. The segment addressed Trump's fight with some of the press corps and the attempt to claw back the health and education funds, and it was published Sept. 27, 2026, at 8:06 a.m. ET NPR.
The press dispute centered on the White House press pool BBC. CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC agreed to suspend their pooled coverage of Trump NYT. Pooled coverage allows a small group to report for all. A suspension stops that shared feed.
The suspension followed bans on individual outlets. CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued the Trump administration over stripped White House access PBS. The administration later complied with a judge's order to restore White House access to three media outlets it had banned Reuters. The order did not end the case.
On spending, the White House said on Friday that it planned to cut $810 million in congressionally approved funding NBC. The money was bipartisan, congressionally approved funding for health and education programs. Lawmakers from both parties criticized the plan in the NBC report.
Trump used a maneuver known as a "pocket rescission" to try to nullify the $810 million TIME. A rescission asks Congress to cancel money it already approved. A pocket rescission sends that request late in the fiscal cycle, leaving lawmakers little time to act before the funds lapse.
The September 2026 attempt was the second time in two years the White House had sought to cancel funding approved by lawmakers NYT. The prior request provides the reference point for Hill staff now reading the new $810 million proposal.
The broader context here is about who controls the next step. For appropriators, the question is procedural and stark. If a president can time a rescission to run out the clock, Congress must decide whether its approval holds. For the press corps, the question is collective. A pool boycott pressures the White House, but it also leaves the public with less independent reporting from inside the building.
In my view, practitioners should watch the courts and the calendar separately. The access fight will turn on orders and compliance, not statements. The funding fight will turn on deadlines and whether Congress acts before the money lapses. Both test whether institutional checks work when challenged at once.
