NYT: WH Has Plan To Override Congress On Spending

The New York Times reports:

The White House is signaling it may soon invoke a little-known and legally untested power to try to cancel billions of dollars in federal spending, as President Trump’s top aides look for novel ways to reconfigure the budget without obtaining the explicit approval of Congress.

Under the emerging plan, the Trump administration would wait until closer to Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year, to formally ask lawmakers to claw back a set of funds it has targeted for cuts. Even if Congress fails to vote on the request, the president’s timing would trigger a law that freezes the money until it ultimately expires.

The idea is known as a pocket rescission, and it has been invoked only in limited circumstances over the past half-century. The Government Accountability Office ruled during the first Trump administration that pocket rescission is illegal, citing Supreme Court precedent.

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This is just the latest in the administration’s brazen attempts to expand executive power and weaken the legislative branch’s spending power. This is dangerous, and Congress must stand up against it. https://t.co/IEPcRXkden

— Project On Government Oversight (@POGOwatchdog) June 11, 2025