The White House on September 25 sent Congress a package of ‘pocket rescissions’ worth $810 million, seeking to cancel appropriated funds without a congressional vote.

The package covers 11 rescission items, with $567 million targeted at Health and Human Services programmes, according to reports.

A pocket rescission works by notifying Congress late in the fiscal year, while lawmakers are in recess, so the 45-day review clock cannot run before the money expires on September 30.

The tactic has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats, who call it an end-run around Congress’s power of the purse, and from budget experts who warn it erodes fiscal norms.

The administration defends rescissions as a legitimate tool to claw back unspent funds. The September 30 expiry means the $810 million lapses unless Congress acts, which the calendar makes effectively impossible. Fiscal watchdogs note that pocket rescissions have been used sparingly by past administrations because of their controversial nature. With the new fiscal year beginning October 1, the lapsed funds simply disappear from the budget baseline.