Trump Cancels $810 Million in Funding for Immigration and Race-Focused Programs
President Trump ordered the cancellation of $810 million in congressionally approved spending Friday, targeting federal programs involving immigration services, race-focused initiatives and other projects his administration says no longer align with its priorities.
The White House Office of Management and Budget described the action as a “pocket rescission,” a rarely used procedure that allows a president to propose canceling appropriated money close enough to the end of the fiscal year that Congress has little time to act before the funds expire.
A large portion of the canceled funding involves Department of Health and Human Services programs serving refugees and unaccompanied migrant children. The administration argues that dramatically lower illegal border crossings have reduced the need for some of the spending.
Other reductions target a Department of Education program serving migrant students, a Justice Department office focused on reducing racial tensions and a Minority Business Development Agency initiative designed to assist minority-owned businesses.
The administration is also canceling money for housing counseling programs administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Additional HHS grants targeted by the rescission were described by the White House as ideological or inconsistent with the administration’s policy priorities.
The White House said some of the funding was going to organizations run by individuals with ties to the Obama administration. OMB characterized the broader package as an effort to eliminate federal spending that the administration considers unnecessary or inconsistent with President Trump’s agenda.
The decision immediately generated opposition on Capitol Hill. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, criticized the administration for acting without consulting Congress and argued that the executive branch cannot independently decide which congressionally approved programs should receive funding.
The dispute centers on the Impoundment Control Act, which generally gives Congress 45 days to consider a president’s request to cancel previously appropriated money. Because the current fiscal year ends Sept. 30, Congress does not have a full 45-day period to act on Trump’s latest request.
The Government Accountability Office has previously argued that using a pocket rescission to allow congressionally appropriated funds to expire without giving lawmakers sufficient time to consider the proposal violates federal law. The Trump administration has disputed that interpretation and maintains that the president has authority to pursue such rescissions.
Trump used the same strategy in 2025 to cancel billions of dollars in foreign aid and international organization funding. The latest action brings the dispute over presidential spending authority to domestic programs, setting up another potential legal and constitutional battle over the balance of power between the White House and Congress.