Trump Seeks to Withhold $800 Million in Congress-Approved Funds, Renewing Spending Powers Dispute
On Sept. 25, 2026, the Trump administration sought to withhold $800 million-plus in federal spending Congress approved for immigration aid, minority business, education and overseas environmental programs.
UNITED STATES,POLITICS
Global N Press
9/25/20261 min read
On September 25, 2026, the Trump administration moved to withhold more than $800 million in federal spending that Congress had previously approved for programs involving immigration assistance, minority business development, education and overseas environmental conservation. The White House said the funds supported programs it considered wasteful or harmful to U.S. interests and invoked a rarely used procedure known as a “pocket rescission” to delay the spending without seeking new congressional approval. The move renewed a constitutional dispute over control of federal spending, as the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse.
Republican Senator Susan Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said on September 25 that rescinding appropriated funds without congressional approval was unlawful and undermined Congress’s constitutional authority. The administration’s action could face further legal challenges and follows an earlier dispute over $4.9 billion in foreign aid that Congress had approved. The Supreme Court previously declined to block Trump from using a similar procedure in that case, while litigation continued. The latest move underscores continuing tensions between the executive branch and Congress over federal budget authority and the limits of presidential control over congressionally approved spending.
