‘Pocket recession’ tool used for first time since 1977 to bypass Congress’s power over budget
Donald Trump has told the House speaker, Mike Johnson, that he won’t be spending $4.9bn in congressionally approved foreign aid, in effect cutting the budget without going through the legislative branch.
Trump, who sent a letter to Johnson on Thursday, is using what is known as a “pocket rescission” – when a president submits a request to Congress to not spend approved funds toward the end of the fiscal year, so that the legislature cannot act on the request in the 45-day timeframe and the money goes unspent as a result. It’s the first time in nearly 50 years a president has used one. The fiscal year draws to a close at the end of September.
Continue reading...