White House moves to claw back $810 million in appropriated funds through pocket rescission

The White House said Friday evening it will claw back $810 million in congressionally appropriated funding via a pocket rescission days before the fiscal year ends, so funds may expire before Congress’s full 45-day review. It cited the Impoundment Control Act; the GAO has said that law does not permit withholding rescissions through expiration without congressional approval. Senate Appropriations chair Susan Collins called the move unlawful and said OMB is undermining Congress’s power of the purse, after a similar $4.9 billion aid block about a year ago.