Trump admin live updates: Trump cuts billions of foreign aid money

[ad_1] President Donald Trump informed Congress that he'll slash $4.9 billion of congressionally-approved USAID and State Division overseas assist funding, the Workplace of Administration and Funds mentioned on Friday.

The administration is claiming to have slashed the overseas assist cash by means of a hardly ever used funding transfer known as a "pocket rescission." It's a course of which means the White Home delivers a request for Congress to slash cash from its finances so late within the fiscal 12 months that the funds expire earlier than Congress is obligated to carry a vote.

Donald Trump speaks to the press earlier than signing an government order within the Oval Workplace of the White Home in Washington, DC on August 25, 2025.

Mandel Ngan/AFP by way of Getty Photographs

Congress already acted to slash a lot of USAID's funding by means of a formalized rescission course of over the summer time. Republicans authorized $9.4 billion in cuts aimed toward formalizing the Division of Authorities Effectivity's cuts to USAID and public broadcasting.

Nevertheless, Trump's newest transfer is completely different as a result of, not like the finances change that Congress rubber-stamped, the White Home might now be sidestepping Congress's energy of the purse.

Congress members on each side of the aisle sounded off. Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who chairs the Senate's Appropriations Committee, blasted the transfer on Friday, calling it an "obvious try and rescind appropriated funds with out congressional approval" in a press release. She additionally mentioned the pocket rescission course of was unlawful, citing the U.S. Governmental Accountability Workplace, that mentioned the The Impoundment Management Act– which Trump says licensed his motion– "doesn't present that authority."

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., responded to Trump's transfer on Friday. "Trump is rooting for a shutdown. He is aware of he has created an enormous drawback as a result of now any finances take care of Republicans is not definitely worth the paper it is written on. He isn't even pretending to comply with the legislation," Murphy mentioned in a submit on X.