Aug. 29 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump is attempting to recoup around $5 billion in federal funding already approved for distribution to the State Department and foreign aid programs, the White House confirmed Friday.
Trump is attempting to use the so-called pocket recession clause to claw back the $4.9 billion, a tactic last attempted in 1977 by then-President Jimmy Carter, a White House Office of Management and Budget spokesperson said Friday.
The clause allows the president to ask Congress to consider withholding the money, giving it 45 days to make a decision. In this instance, the 45-day window would run through the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30. At that point, the funds would not be restored.
Trump made the request Friday in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
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