Senate Republicans block a Democratic effort to stop President Donald Trump from canceling $810 million in congressionally approved funds. Senator Ron Johnson objects to a bill by Senators Patty Murray and Jeff Merkley that aimed to nullify Trump's "pocket rescission" maneuver on the eve of the fiscal year's end. Meanwhile, Senator Mike Lee blocks a bipartisan bill to prevent the demolition of the Kennedy Center, where the administration is locked in a legal battle over renaming rights.
Senate block of the Democratic bill
- ▪United States Senate Democrats failed to pass a bill on September 30, 2026, that would have blocked President Donald Trump from canceling $810 million in congressionally approved funding.
- ▪The blocked bill, sponsored by Democratic Senators Patty Murray and Jeff Merkley, aimed to prevent the Trump administration from cutting funding for immigrant services, climate change, and civil rights programs.
- ▪Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin blocked the Democratic bill on September 30, 2026, by objecting to a unanimous consent request on the Senate floor.
The pocket rescission mechanism
- ▪President Donald Trump's pocket rescission maneuver relies on a 45-day withholding clock under the Impoundment Control Act of 1964 to run out the clock and let funds expire at the end of the fiscal year
- ▪President Donald Trump notified Congress on September 25, 2026, of a proposal to claw back approximately $810 million in federal funds using a controversial "pocket rescission" maneuver.
Challenges to the rescission plan's legality
- ▪Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, released a statement on September 25, 2026, accusing the Office of Management and Budget of intentionally withholding funds to execute an unlawful cancellation of Trump's $810 million pocket rescission
- ▪The Government Accountability Office issued a letter to congressional leaders on September 29, 2026, declaring President Donald Trump's $810 million pocket rescission attempt illegal and non-binding beyond the fiscal year
- ▪A lawsuit filed on September 29, 2026, in Washington federal court legally challenged the White House's $810 million pocket rescission plan on the eve of the fiscal year's end
Protecting Presidential memorials
- ▪Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley and Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski spearheaded the Protecting Presidential Memorials Act to ban the unauthorized demolition of designated presidential memorials.
- ▪Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah blocked the bipartisan Protecting Presidential Memorials Act on September 28, 2026, which would have banned the demolition of congressional presidential memorials without legislative approval.
Legal battles over the Kennedy Center
- ▪Department of Justice lawyers argued in a federal appeals court filing on September 29, 2026, that the Kennedy Center is in critical physical and financial condition, projecting a $100 million annual loss.
- ▪Federal Judge Christopher Cooper ruled on September 15, 2026, rejecting a second attempt by the Trump administration to rename the Kennedy Center after President Donald Trump, following a May ruling against the first attempt
Debatable claims
- ▪The Government Accountability Office's legal opinions are binding on the executive branch
- ▪Congress should ban spending rescission proposals within 90 days of funding expiration
- ▪Trump's pocket rescissions are an unconstitutional usurpation of congressional authority
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