Tell Congress: Stop Trump’s Unconstitutional Spending Cuts

Donald Trump is attempting to cancel nearly $1 billion in federal funding that Congress already approved — using a maneuver known as a "pocket rescission" just days before the end of the fiscal year.

The Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse. Presidents can ask Congress to rescind funding, but the Impoundment Control Act establishes a process for doing so: Congress gets to decide whether previously approved funding should actually be canceled.

The Government Accountability Office has previously concluded that the Impoundment Control Act does not permit this kind of pocket rescission – the only question is whether Congress will let Trump get away with it.

Tell Congress: Defend your constitutional spending authority and ensure that congressionally approved funds cannot be canceled without congressional approval.

This is about a basic separation of powers. Congress debates spending bills, passes appropriations, and sends them to the president to become law. Once those spending decisions are enacted, an administration can not simple withhold the money until the clock runs out.

This dispute will not necessarily end with these particular funds. If presidents can use timing to circumvent the rescission process, Congress’s decisions about federal spending could become increasingly vulnerable to unilateral executive action whenever an administration disagrees with them.

Tell Congress: Regardless of party or position on the programs involved, protect Congress’s power of the purse and require the executive branch to follow the law governing rescissions.

The petition to the United States Congress reads:

"Defend Congress’s constitutional power of the purse. Ensure that funds enacted into law remain available as Congress directed unless Congress affirmatively approves their rescission, enforce the Impoundment Control Act, and take the necessary oversight and legislative steps to prevent future attempts to circumvent Congress’s spending authority."