President Donald Trump has informed House Speaker Mike Johnson that he will not spend $4.9 billion in foreign aid that Congress had already approved, effectively reducing the budget without going through lawmakers. In a letter sent to Johnson on Thursday, Trump invoked a process called a “pocket rescission.” This occurs when a president requests that Congress not spend approved funds near the end of a fiscal year. Since Congress cannot act within the 45-day window, the money ultimately goes unspent. This is the first time in nearly 50 years a president has used this method. The current fiscal year ends in September.
The White House Office of Management and Budget posted Trump’s letter Friday morning on X. It stated that the cuts would affect the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), both frequent targets of Trump’s push to reduce foreign aid.
If this approach becomes routine, the president could bypass Congress on major spending decisions, potentially disrupting ongoing efforts in both the House and Senate to fund the government when the new fiscal year begins in October.
The move reflects a broader pattern in Trump’s administration of asserting greater presidential control over the federal government, weakening Congress and agencies like the Federal Reserve and the CDC. The administration has already removed federal workers and introduced significant tariff hikes without congressional approval, leaving it up to the courts to determine the extent of presidential power.
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