Trump uses ‘pocket rescission’ to cancel $4.9bn in congressionally approved foreign aid

It’s the first use of tool, which bypasses Congress’s power over the budget, since 1977

Donald Trump has told the House speaker, Mike Johnson, that he won’t be spending $4.9bn in congressionally approved foreign aid, in effect cutting the budget without going through the legislative branch.

Trump, who sent a letter to Johnson on Thursday, is using what is known as a “pocket rescission” – when a president submits a request to Congress to not spend approved funds toward the end of the fiscal year, so that the legislature cannot act on the request in the 45-day timeframe and the money goes unspent as a result. It’s the first time in nearly 50 years a president has used one. The fiscal year draws to a close at the end of September.