President Donald Trump announced he would cancel nearly $1 billion in congressionally approved funds, mainly for immigrant services and diversity-focused initiatives. His administration says the funds are no longer needed because illegal border crossings have fallen considerably.
Most cuts target immigrant-service nonprofits that serve refugees and unaccompanied minors accused of being in the country illegally. Trump announced the rescissions with only five days left in the federal fiscal year, leaving Congress little time to review them; the Government Accountability Office says the “pocket rescission” maneuver is illegal.
Sen. Susan Collins, the Republican chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the cuts came without warning or consultation and called them illegal, arguing the executive branch cannot decide which programs Congress funds. Last year, Trump used the mechanism for the first time in 50 years to block $4.9 billion in foreign aid; the Supreme Court declined to block those cuts, saying his foreign-affairs authority weighed heavily in its decision.
