# Trump Bypasses Congress to Cut $810M, GOP Senator Calls It 'Unlawful'

- URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/trump-bypasses-congress-to-cut-810m-gop-senator-calls-it-unlawful
- Published: 2026-09-26T13:07:25.591484+00:00
- Topics: federal-spending, executive-power, congress, immigration-policy, budget-rescission

## What the left says
- The maneuver strips funding for refugees, migrant children, and minority-owned businesses using a legal loophole rather than a direct congressional vote, timed deliberately so the 45-day review window can't be completed before the fiscal year ends.
- This 'pocket rescission' tactic amounts to a president unilaterally overriding Congress's constitutional power of the purse, a power explicitly reserved to the legislative branch regardless of which party controls it.
- Criticism is bipartisan, not just from Democrats, since Republican appropriators who negotiated these funding deals in good faith are seeing their agreements unilaterally voided by the executive branch.
- Programs targeted include services for unaccompanied migrant children in court proceedings and health research initiatives, framed by the administration as 'ideological' but serving vulnerable populations and long-standing bipartisan priorities.

## What the right says
- The administration is targeting spending it views as wasteful or ideologically driven, including programs supporting an 'LGBT youth summit,' 'Therapy for Latinx workshops,' and dissertations on 'queer and trans community building' abroad, spending many taxpayers would not endorse.
- The White House argues these cuts eliminate funding that does not benefit American citizens, including aid tied to illegal immigration and diversity-focused initiatives rather than core government functions.
- The executive branch contends it has legitimate authority to withhold funds when the 45-day congressional review period cannot be completed before the fiscal year closes, framing this as a technical timing issue rather than lawless action.
- This follows a precedent set last year when Trump clawed back $9 billion with congressional support, suggesting an established pattern of targeting spending the administration deems unnecessary or ideologically slanted.

## Common ground
- The rescission targets $810 million to $1 billion in previously congressionally approved funding across HHS, Education, Justice, and HUD programs.
- Federal law grants Congress a 45-day window to accept, reject, or ignore a presidential rescission request, a process both sides reference in evaluating the legality of the move.
- Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, has publicly condemned the action as an unlawful usurpation of Congress's constitutional appropriations authority.
- The action is likely to face legal challenges, with both supporters and critics acknowledging the courts may ultimately decide whether pocket rescissions are a valid executive tool.

## Sources
- [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-revives-rare-budget-maneuver-rescind-810m-congressionally-approved-funds) (Right)
- [Just The News](https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/trump-informs-congress-he-will-claw-back-another-1-billion-through-pocket?utm_source=justthenews.com&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=external-news-aggregators) (Right)
- [Newsmax](https://www.newsmax.com/politics/Trump-Rescinds-810M-in-Funds-Tied-to-Illegal-Immigration-Race-Programs/2026/09/25/id/1270747) (Right)
- [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/lawmakers-slam-trumps-unlawful-move-cut-810-million-federal-funds-rcna599942) (Lean Left)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6112779-trump-cancels-billion-federal-funding/) (Center)
- [Washington Times](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/sep/25/white-house-maneuvers-around-congress-cut-810-million-pocket/) (Right)

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