The White House announced on Friday that former President Donald Trump is canceling nearly $1 billion in spending approved by Congress, using a rare and contested power to cut funding for immigrant services and diversity-focused programs. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) described the cuts as targeting "the most harmful government spending." Most of the reductions are aimed at services for immigrants, including nonprofits that assist refugees and unaccompanied minors who are alleged to be in the country illegally. The administration claimed the funds are no longer needed due to a significant drop in illegal border crossings. A White House statement also noted that some of the affected organizations were previously led by individuals from the administration of former President Barack Obama. The move involves a controversial method known as a "pocket rescission," where the president notifies Congress shortly before the end of the fiscal year that it no longer wishes to spend funds that lawmakers had approved. According to the Impoundment Control Act, the president can propose such cuts, and Congress has 45 days to approve or reject them. However, if the proposal is made late in the fiscal year, the funds can effectively be withheld until they expire. The current fiscal year ends on Wednesday, leaving little time for Congress to respond. The administration plans to cancel $567 million in spending related to services for refugees, asylees, and other migrants through the Department of Health and Human Services. It is also rescinding $50 million for other immigrant aid programs, $70 million in "Woke International Education" grants, and $56 million in Housing and Urban Development programs. Senator Susan Collins, a Republican and chair of the Senate appropriations committee, criticized the move, calling it an illegal action taken without warning or consultation. She argued that the OMB, an executive branch agency, should not decide which programs are worth funding and noted that the Government Accountability Office has previously deemed such rescissions unlawful. Patty Murray, a Washington Democratic senator and vice-chair of the appropriations committee, called the move "theft from the American people." She emphasized that these funds were approved by Congress on a bipartisan basis and should be used to help people, not cut due to a president focused on personal projects over family investment. Murray also criticized the administration's approach, suggesting that Republican lawmakers who supported the funding should be upset with the move. Typically, Congress has time to review and respond to proposed spending cuts. However, Trump announced the rescissions with only five days left in the fiscal year, making it nearly impossible for Congress to act. The Government Accountability Office has previously labeled this maneuver illegal. Collins called it another attempt by the OMB to "undermine Congress’s constitutional power of the purse." Trump’s use of pocket rescissions fits a broader pattern of the administration seeking to exert more control over the federal government, including firing federal workers, increasing tariffs, and initiating military actions without congressional approval. The judicial branch has increasingly been tasked with determining the limits of presidential power in these cases.