Trump cancels millions of dollars in funding for refugees, immigrants - Middle East Eye
The Trump administration is moving to cancel $810m in funding appropriated by the US Congress for refugees, immigrants, and related services, the Office of Management and Budget said over the weekend.
The Trump administration sent House Speaker Mike Johnson a letter on Friday proposing rescissions at the Departments of Commerce, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, and the Justice Department. A rescission is when the president calls on Congress to cancel specific appropriations.
“Enacting the rescission would… be consistent with the Administration's goal of ending the use of Federal taxpayer dollars to support non-citizens, putting Americans first,” the letter, first reported by CNN on Saturday, stated.
Some lawmakers are criticising the move as a broad overreach of executive power that bypasses Congress.
“Any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law,” Susan Collins, a Republican member of Congress, stated. “I will work with my colleagues to address these illegal actions.”
“A pocket rescission is an illegal line item veto. It is the president saying that he and he alone will convert a bipartisan spending bill (that has been signed into law) into a partisan spending bill,” Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley wrote on X.
“He is cancelling the lines of spending he doesn't like,” he added.
The cuts come as part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to massively curb immigration. The White House has tried to abolish birthright citizenship, particularly for undocumented immigrants, as well as visitors who engage in so-called "birth tourism". The Supreme Court struck down that ruling in a 5-4 decision.
The Trump administration has also given Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers broad powers to detain lawful refugees who have yet to secure permanent US residency, according to a new government memo.
Earlier this year, a new rule was enacted under which any foreigners in the US seeking to adjust their visa status must now leave the country first, and then apply through a US embassy abroad.
The Trump administration has also singled out pro-Palestinian activists and critics of Israel in its crackdown on immigration. Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil is suing the Trump administration after his involvement in the anti-Gaza war protest movement.
