White House uses pocket rescission to withhold $800 million in approved funds

The White House has announced plans to unilaterally withhold approximately $800 million to $810 million in funding previously approved by Congress. The administration is utilizing a controversial tactic known as a ‘pocket rescission,’ which involves submitting funding blocks so close to the end of the fiscal year that the funds expire before Congress can complete the legally required 45-day consideration period.

The targeted funds include roughly $567 million for Health and Human Services programs supporting refugees, asylees, and non-citizens, as well as funding for racial-minority business development, overseas conservation, and Department of Education programs for immigrant students. The White House stated the move aims to cut “wasteful and harmful government spending” that it claims supports illegal immigration and promotes environmental alarmism.

Senator Susan Collins, a Republican and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, condemned the move as “illegal” and an attempt to undermine the constitutional “power of the purse.” While the administration cites the Impoundment Control Act as its legal basis, the Government Accountability Office has previously stated that the Act does not permit withholding rescissions through expiration without congressional approval.