What to know about the $810 million in spending canceled by President Trump
President Trump has withheld $810 million in congressionally approved federal funding, a move described as a 'pocket rescission.' Critics and the Government Accountability Office argue this action undermines the constitutional separation of powers regarding the federal budget.
Why it matters
This conflict highlights a significant constitutional struggle over the 'power of the purse' between the executive and legislative branches.
Each year, Congress passes laws which allocate money to the federal government's various programs and agencies. Trump, for the second year in a row, is refusing to send some of that money to the places that Congress says it has to go , setting off a fresh battle with lawmakers over who controls federal spending.
Of the $810 million being withheld, $567 million comes from programs that "provided services to refugees, asylees, and other non-citizens," according to a memo from the White House.
The move, called a pocket rescission, is illegal, according to the Government Accountability Office , an independent, non-partisan watchdog agency charged with providing federal agencies fact-based information.
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