Trump Proposes $810 Million Spending Cancellation Ahead of Deadline

President Trump has proposed withholding $810 million in spending Congress had approved, declining to send the money to its directed uses for the second year in a row, according to reporting published Sept. 28. NPR

The White House sent the proposal — called a rescission request, a formal ask to cancel approved spending — near the end of the federal fiscal year. Fox News The fiscal year, the government's 12-month budget period, ends Sept. 30, two days after Sept. 28.

The timing matters under the rules. A president who wants to cancel approved funds is supposed to give Congress 45 days notice so lawmakers can agree or disagree. A pocket rescission happens when the request comes so late that Congress does not have that full time to consider it or direct the money elsewhere.

Of the $810 million at issue, $567 million comes from programs that provided services to refugees, asylees, and other non-citizens, according to a White House memo. That share is more than two-thirds of the total.

The remainder spans several smaller accounts. The administration withheld $15 million from a Justice Department team tasked with preventing and resolving racial and ethnic tensions, incidents, and civil disorders, and restoring racial stability and harmony.

It also withheld $70 million from programs providing grants and fellowships to support institutions bringing foreign students and faculty to the United States to study or teach language. Tens of millions of dollars more were withheld from research and nonprofit grant programs targeting climate change or racial and gender minority work.

Russell Vought is the director of the Office of Management and Budget, the White House office that transmits rescission requests to Congress.

The Government Accountability Office says a pocket rescission is illegal. NPR The White House has described the action as an effort to eliminate wasteful and harmful spending. White House

The broader context here is about timing and leverage. A request sent inside the 45-day window does not give Congress the full period to consider, change, or reject it before budget authority expires on Sept. 30.

In my view, the mix also matters for what happens next on Capitol Hill. The largest share affects refugee and asylee services, with smaller cuts tied to civil-rights mediation, international exchange, climate research, and minority-focused grants. Doing this for a second straight year points to a repeat tactic, which is likely to affect how Congress writes deadlines and carryover rules.