GAO says Trump’s $810 million pocket rescission was unlawful

  • GAO reaffirmed that President Trump’s pocket rescission of federal funding was unlawful.
  • The canceled amount was $810 million, primarily affecting HHS programs.
  • The Supreme Court allowed the process in 2025 at an early litigation stage.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office reaffirmed that President Trump’s use of a pocket rescission to cancel $810 million in federal funding was unlawful. GAO lead attorney Edda Emmanuelli Perez said the President’s September 25, 2026, rescission proposals did not authorize withholding the appropriations under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (ICA). The funding primarily supported Health and Human Services programs serving undocumented immigrants and unaccompanied children in court. The dispute follows the Supreme Court’s 2025 decision allowing the administration to use the process at an early stage of litigation, while Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought criticized GAO as partisan. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins and other Republicans have also called the process unlawful and are considering legislative guardrails.

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