WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration has moved to cancel more than $800 million in federal spending previously approved by Congress, reopening a dispute over presidential authority to withhold appropriated funds.
The White House said the action uses a rarely invoked mechanism known as a “pocket rescission” under the Impoundment Control Act. The administration says the targeted funding includes programs involving services for non-citizens, education and diversity-related initiatives.
The White House characterized the spending as wasteful and said the move is intended to protect taxpayers.
The action is already facing opposition on Capitol Hill. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the Republican chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has said the administration’s use of the maneuver violates federal spending law. Other lawmakers and legal experts have also questioned whether a president can effectively allow congressionally approved funding to expire without giving Congress sufficient time to act on a rescission request.
The dispute adds another chapter to the broader fight between the executive branch and Congress over control of federal spending.