Trump administration uses rare authority to claw back nearly $1B in spending approved by Congress

Key Points:

• The Trump administration's Office of Management and Budget announced funding cuts targeting Health and Human Services programs for refugees and unaccompanied minors, citing a decrease in illegal border crossings as justification.
• Additional cuts affect a Department of Education program for migrant students, a Department of Justice office aimed at reducing racial tensions, minority business development initiatives, housing counseling services, and several Health and Human Services grants labeled as "harmful and blatantly ideological."
• The move, executed via a "pocket rescission" just days before the fiscal year-end and with Congress out of session, bypassed the 45-day congressional review period and has been condemned as illegal and an overreach of executive power by lawmakers including Sen. Susan Collins.
• Critics argue the action undermines Congress's constitutional power of the purse, with Democrats calling it "theft from the American people," while the administration maintains the rescission is legally permissible based on precedent from the Carter administration.
• The funding cuts also include $70 million withdrawn from international education programs, $28 million from Health and Human Services research grants, $9 million in foreign debt relief tied to climate policies, and $10 million from minority business development, reflecting a broader pattern of executive actions expanding presidential control over government spending.