Trump revives rare budget maneuver to rescind $810M in congressionally approved funds

To pull the money back, President Donald Trump used a "pocket rescission," a rare budget maneuver that lets the executive branch withhold funds Congress already approved. The administration argues this falls within its authority. Congress and the Government Accountability Office disagree, saying the move exceeds what a president can legally do on his own.

Most of the cuts hit close to home for health providers nationwide. Roughly $567 million came out of Health and Human Services programs, money that had been funding non-government organizations supporting refugees. Those groups now face losing federal dollars lawmakers had already signed off on.

The clash sets up a fight over who actually controls federal spending once Congress approves it. If the White House can simply refuse to release funds after they're appropriated, that shifts real power away from lawmakers and toward the president, regardless of party. Watchdog groups like the GAO exist specifically to check that kind of move, and their objection here signals this isn't a settled question. Legal challenges are expected to test whether a president can quietly undo a spending bill just by declining to spend it.

Eight hundred and ten million dollars, and Congress may not get a vote on where it actually goes.