Trump admin cancels funding for refugees and immigrants, lawmakers argue move is illegal

The Trump administration has moved to cancel approximately $810 million in congressionally approved funding for a range of programs, including those assisting refugees, immigrants, and various domestic services. This action, referred to by the White House as targeting "wasteful and harmful government spending," involves a "pocket rescission," a controversial method where the President notifies Congress of an intent to withhold funds near the end of the fiscal year, effectively preventing their expenditure. Among the significant cuts is $567 million for the Refugee and Entrant Assistance account, which funds Office of Refugee Resettlement programs, with the administration asserting that the office is "overfunded" due to a reduction in border crossings.

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have strongly criticized this move, deeming it an illegal circumvention of Congress's constitutional authority over federal spending. Republican Senator Susan Collins, among others, argued that the action functions as an unlawful "line item veto" and that the Office of Management and Budget intentionally withheld these funds. The Government Accountability Office (GAO), a nonpartisan watchdog, has previously stated that such pocket rescissions are illegal.

This is not the first instance of the Trump administration employing this tactic, having previously used a pocket rescission to cancel nearly $5 billion in foreign aid. While a Supreme Court decision allowed the earlier foreign aid cuts to proceed, it did not definitively rule on the legality of the maneuver itself. The administration's current actions have also prompted several lawsuits challenging its policies regarding refugee and immigrant funding and services, with some courts ruling against the administration on related matters.