President Donald J. Trump has reignited a long-dormant presidential power, seeking to slash nearly $5 billion in bloated foreign aid and controversial peacekeeping expenditures. This move, dubbed a “pocket rescission,” hasn’t been attempted in nearly half a century and could set a new precedent for reining in unchecked global spending — much of which has long flown under the radar and away from scrutiny.
On Thursday night, President Trump formally notified Congress of his intention to rescind the funds, which had previously been frozen due to a lawsuit initiated by the Global Health Council. Just hours earlier, a federal appeals court cleared the way by lifting an injunction that had stalled the administration’s efforts. Now, Trump is wasting no time, making a late-fiscal-year push that could prevent these funds from ever leaving American shores.
A “pocket rescission” is a legal gray area. It refers to a rescission request sent so late in the fiscal year — which ends September 30 — that Congress has little time to respond before the funds expire. Though rare, the maneuver allows the White House to effectively nullify spending by dragging its feet and leveraging bureaucratic timelines. The last known use was during the Carter administration in 1977.
The money targeted includes:
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$3.2 billion in USAID “development assistance”
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$322 million from the USAID-State Department Democracy Fund
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$521 million in State Department contributions to international organizations
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$393 million in contributions to UN peacekeeping operations
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$445 million in additional, independently budgeted peacekeeping aid
That’s right — billions of American taxpayer dollars earmarked for foreign governments, international bureaucracies, and nonprofits that often promote agendas deeply out of step with American values.
Team Trump isn’t just cutting for the sake of it. The administration has exposed several egregiously wasteful — and even offensive — examples of spending, including:
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$24.6 million for “climate resilience” projects in Honduras
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$2.7 million to the South African Democracy Works Foundation — an organization known for publishing racially inflammatory articles like “The Problem with White People”
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$3.9 million to promote LGBT activism in the Western Balkans
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$1.5 million to promote artwork created by Ukrainian women
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Millions more for armored vehicles for Uruguay, military barracks for Kazakhstan, and peacekeeper training facilities in Zambia
Let’s not forget: these are the same kinds of global pet projects that have been championed by unelected bureaucrats and left-wing think tanks for years — all funded by hardworking American taxpayers.
Much of the rescinded money would have gone to fund United Nations peacekeeping missions — including in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the Trump administration already helped broker peace between regional powers without needing to write a blank check to the UN. One mission in the Central African Republic has even been criticized for furthering Russian economic interests under the guise of humanitarian aid.
Despite the sweeping cuts, Trump’s proposal preserves funding for essential operations, like the Multinational Force and Observers stationed along the Israeli-Egyptian border — a mission crucial to maintaining Middle East stability and protecting U.S. allies.
The legality of pocket rescissions is hotly debated. While the Government Accountability Office (GAO) argues the practice violates the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, the Trump administration points to past presidential actions that set precedent. According to a 2018 letter by then-OMB General Counsel Mark Paoletta, both Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter used similar tactics, and GAO previously acknowledged those lapses without objection.
In a recent statement on X, Paoletta accused the GAO of flip-flopping on the issue simply because of political bias, saying its reversal stems from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Importantly, a recent ruling by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals determined that private litigants cannot enforce the Impoundment Control Act, potentially leaving the GAO as the only body capable of challenging Trump’s rescission in court. But even that could face hurdles, as constitutional questions loom over the legitimacy of the GAO’s own leadership.
President Trump’s move is more than a headline-grabbing budget cut — it’s a stand against the globalist gravy train that has siphoned billions from American citizens in the name of progressive internationalism. For decades, Congress has rubber-stamped these foreign aid packages with little oversight or public debate. Now, Trump is sending a loud and clear message: America First means spending our money at home — not funding left-wing social experiments abroad.
