Chicago – August 29, 2025
President Donald Trump has notified Congress he is moving to cancel $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid using a rare “pocket rescission,” drawing criticism from Democrats and at least one top Republican senator who questioned the legality of the move.
The Office of Management and Budget’s proposal to claw back the funding this late in the fiscal year sets it up to be canceled if Congress doesn’t consider the proposal – and for a potential legal battle with major stakes in the months ahead.
“For the first time in nearly 50 years, the President is using his authority under the Impoundment Control Act to deploy a pocket rescission, cancelling $4.9 billion in woke and weaponized foreign aid money that violates the President’s America First priorities,” an OMB spokesperson said in a statement.
But Democratic lawmakers and the Republican chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee criticized the decision, saying the move is against the law.
“Given that this package was sent to Congress very close to the end of the fiscal year when the funds are scheduled to expire, this is an apparent attempt to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval,” said Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the top Senate appropriator. “Any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law.”
Collins specifically pointed to a Government Accountability Office decision saying pocket rescissions are illegal.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also condemned the move, saying the “announcement of the Administration’s plan to advance an unlawful ‘pocket rescission’ package is further proof President Trump and Congressional Republicans are hellbent on rejecting bipartisanship and ‘going it alone’ this fall.”
