White House cuts $810 million in federal funds, lawmakers call it unlawful

The White House announced on Friday that it will cut $810 million in federal funds through pocket rescissions, a rare budgetary tactic that the Trump administration has used before to negate congressionally allocated spending. The move affects programs and agencies serving immigrants, minority groups, and Department of Health and Human Services research programs.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle criticized the decision as unlawful, with Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, calling it a “unlawful” action and Senator Patty Murray, D-Wash., describing it as a “theft from the American people.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., also warned that the rescissions package would “illegally strip nearly $1 billion in critical funding.”

The rescission covers funding for several nongovernmental organizations that serve immigrants and refugees, NGOs that provide housing counseling, and programs that bring foreign students and faculty to U.S. Academic institutions. It also includes funds for Community Relations Services, a subagency of the Justice Department, climate debt relief, minority business owners, and HHS research programs.

Read the full story at NBC News.