Donald Trump just made a "legally debated" move that will put us on the course toward a shut down next month, according to political experts.
The conservative New York Post reported in a "midnight scoop" that Trump had scrapped $5 billion in foreign aid in a "rare" action called a "pocket rescission." According to Post reporter Steven Nelson, it is a "legally debated maneuver that hasn't been used in 48 years."
"President Trump is moving to cancel nearly $5 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid and peacekeeping spending in a rare 'pocket rescission,' The Post has learned — making use of a legally debated maneuver that hasn’t been done in 48 years," Nelson reported. "Trump on Thursday night notified Congress of his request to cancel the funds, which had been tied up in a court case until earlier in the day."
The report notes, "A pocket rescission is a request that’s presented to Congress so late in the fiscal year — which ends Sept. 30 — that it’s made regardless of whether Congress acts."
But reporters were quick to sound an alarm.
Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman flagged the news over night going into Friday, saying, "This would be the first step toward a shutdown next month."
Co-founder John Bresnahan agreed, writing, "This could very well lead to a shutdown."
One X user, District of Aluminum, added, "Vainglorious Russ Vought has decided to jeopardize a government shutdown with a $5 Billion 'Pocket Rescission' of foreign aid. He should have worked with Congress through appropriations. The villainy lies in his certainty that he alone knows the soul of America."