Executive cancellation of appropriated funds triggers separation-of-powers fight

The administration reportedly ordered or pursued roughly $800 million to nearly $1 billion in pocket rescissions before the Sept. 30 fiscal-year deadline, including an $810 million package affecting domestic as well as foreign-aid programs. GAO has objected, and bipartisan senators including Susan Collins and Angus King say unilateral cancellations violate Congress’s appropriations authority. Congress is separately attempting to constrain Army Corps project pauses through WRDA 2026, but the legality, enforcement mechanisms, and precedent remain unresolved.