President Donald Trump has chosen not to utilize $4.9 billion in approved foreign aid through a method known as “pocket recission,” a tactic not used in 50 years. This approach involves the President submitting a request to Congress near the end of the fiscal year to withhold allocated funds, preventing Congress from acting on the request within the 45-day timeframe and resulting in the funds going unspent. The fiscal year concludes at the end of September.
The Trump administration argues that “pocket recission” is a legally permissible tool. If widely adopted by the White House, this move could circumvent Congress on significant spending decisions and potentially shift some control over expenditures away from the legislative branch. The last instance of “pocket recission” occurred in 1977 during Jimmy Carter’s presidency.
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