A federal watchdog has ruled that President Donald Trump's decision to cancel roughly $810 million in federal funding was unconstitutional. The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) found the administration's unilateral spending cuts exceeded its constitutional authority, according to Deseret News.
The cuts were made through a process known as pocket rescissions, described by Deseret News as a rarely used and legally questionable procedure. Hot Air reported that Trump invoked this rare authority to cancel nearly $1 billion in spending that had been approved by Congress.
According to Deseret News, the GAO sent a letter on Tuesday to Vice President JD Vance and top members of Congress outlining its conclusion. The ruling escalates a dispute between the White House and congressional appropriators over which branch holds budget authority, Deseret News reported.
Associated Press, NewsNation and Newsmax all reported the core finding: that the watchdog says Trump cannot cancel more than $800 million in spending approved by Congress.
How each side covered it
Left
- Associated Press reported the GAO's finding that Trump cannot cancel more than $800 million in spending approved by Congress.
“Watchdog says Trump can’t cancel more than $800M in spending approved by Congress” — Associated Press
Center
- NewsNation reported the same core finding as left-leaning outlets, that the watchdog blocked cancellation of more than $800 million.
“Watchdog says Trump can’t cancel more than $800M in spending approved by Congress” — NewsNation
Right
- Deseret News detailed the GAO's letter to Vice President JD Vance and congressional leaders and called the cuts unconstitutional.
- Deseret News and Hot Air both described the funding cancellation as carried out via pocket rescissions.
- Hot Air framed the story as Trump invoking a rare authority to cancel nearly $1 billion in spending.
- Newsmax's headline matched the center and left framing, stating the watchdog said Trump can't cancel $800 million in spending.
“Federal watchdog: Trump canceling $810 million in government funding was unconstitutional” — Deseret News
Questions readers ask
What did the Government Accountability Office rule?
The GAO ruled that President Donald Trump's administration could not cancel more than $800 million in federal spending that Congress had approved, finding the cancellation unconstitutional, according to Deseret News.
How did the Trump administration cancel the spending?
The administration used a process called pocket rescissions, described by Deseret News and Hot Air as a rarely used and legally questionable procedure, to cancel roughly $810 million in funding.
Who was notified of the GAO's ruling?
According to Deseret News, the GAO sent a letter outlining its conclusion to Vice President JD Vance and top members of Congress on Tuesday.
Why does this dispute matter?
The ruling escalates a conflict between the White House and congressional appropriators over which branch holds constitutional authority to control federal spending, per Deseret News.
Sources · 5 outlet reports
- Associated PressLeft-leaningWatchdog says Trump can’t cancel more than $800M in spending approved by Congress
- NewsNationCenterWatchdog says Trump can’t cancel more than $800M in spending approved by Congress
- Deseret NewsRight-leaningFederal watchdog: Trump canceling $810 million in government funding was unconstitutional
- Hot AirRight-leaningTrump Invokes Rare Authority To Cancel Nearly $1,000,000,000 In Congressionally Approved Spending
- NewsmaxRight-leaningWatchdog: Trump Can't Cancel $800 Million in Spending OK'd by Congress