Trump Administration’s “Pocket Rescissions” are Illegal

Amicus Brief: Submitted by DeLauro in September 2025 Explains why “Pocket Rescissions” are Illegal

August 2025 Fact Sheet: “Pocket Rescissions” = Line-Item Veto

WASHINGTON – House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) released the following statement on the Trump administration’s so-called “pocket rescissions” request:

“Instead of addressing the cost-of-living crisis or skyrocketing gas prices due to President Trump’s war of choice in Iran, the Trump administration is once again trying to steal more money promised to communities across the country. 

“Lawless Office of Management and Budget Director (OMB) Russ Vought is attempting to do an end run around Congress by asking to withhold appropriated funds through what he has labeled ‘pocket rescissions.’ Not only is freezing the money in this proposal illegal, but the administration has also clearly been unlawfully impounding funds all year just to get to this point.

“This is exactly why OMB requires dedicated, nonpartisan oversight, and why Congress must remove or constrain OMB’s authorities to manage American taxpayer funding. They simply cannot be trusted to carry out the law consistent with the Constitution. Republicans should join Democrats in rejecting this attempt to circumvent Congress, protecting investments promised to families nationwide, and standing up for Congress’s constitutional power of the purse.”

DeLauro has been leading the fight against Vought’s “pocket rescissions” gambit. In September 2025, she authored an amicus brief explaining the legal arguments against the administration’s use of this illegal maneuver.

An August 2025 fact sheet from House Appropriations Committee Democrats explains why this move amounts to a line-item veto.

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