Trump orders $810 million cut to immigration and race-focused federal programs

President Trump issued a formal rescission notice to House Speaker Mike Johnson, cancelling $810 million in congressionally approved spending across eleven line items in seven federal agencies. The action eliminates $567 million allocated to the Department of Health and Human Services for social services to illegal immigrants, citing a sharp decline in border crossings. Additional cuts include $70 million for fellowships to foreign academics, $56 million from HUD housing-counseling grants linked to DEI-focused groups, and $28 million in HHS grants deemed wasteful or ideological.

The Department of Education loses $25 million for migrant-student initiatives, while the Justice and Homeland Security departments each forfeit $15 million for race-relations and immigrant-orientation programs. Minor reductions affect the Minority Business Development Agency, another DHS legal-services program, the HHS Office of Minority Health, and a Treasury climate-conservation debt-forgiveness scheme. Made with only five days left in the fiscal year, the pocket rescission sidesteps the standard 45-day congressional review and may prompt legal challenges, despite a recent Supreme Court ruling that upheld the president’s authority in similar cases.