Never let it be said that the Trump administration isn’t endlessly innovative—at least when it comes to ignoring the Constitution and usurping the legislative branch’s power of the purse. Donald Trump just dropped a pocket rescission on Congress, which is such a deep cut that it hasn’t happened since 1977. It’s also objectively, flagrantly illegal, but it’s not like that really matters.

On Thursday Trump sent a letter to hapless House Speaker Mike Johnson saying that he wouldn’t be spending $4.9 billion in foreign aid, which had already been appropriated by Congress, because he doesn’t wanna. You can see the official letter, such as it is, over on the X account for the Office of White House Management and Budget, blaring that this shows that Trump “will always put AMERICA FIRST.”

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