Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 30, US Republican President Trump has unilaterally cancelled the $4.90 billion foreign aid approved by Congress, attracting opposition from Democrats and even some Republicans, intensifying the fight over spending control.

Trump sent a letter to Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday saying he would not use $4.9 billion of foreign aid approved by Congress to stop funding 15 international projects.The White House Administration and Budget Office published the letter on social media platform X on the morning of the 29th.

According to a court document filed on Monday, $4.9 billion was allocated for foreign aid, UN peacekeeping operations and overseas democracy promotion, including $3.2 billion in aid from the U.S. International Development Agency, which was officially shut down in July.

According to Reuters, the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the right to allocate funds, and Congress funds government operations annually through legislation.If the White House does not want to spend that money, it must be approved by Congress, and Trump's latest move has completely bypassed Congress.

Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, argued that Mr. Trump had the authority to freeze funds for 45 days.

The Associated Press reported that Trump's move was based on a tactic not used in nearly 50 years, known as "pocket withdrawal": the president submits a request to Congress near the end of the financial year to stop using approved funds. Because the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30 and Congress cannot respond within the 45-day legal deadline, the funds will eventually lapse automatically. Standardizing the move by the White House would effectively bypass Congress' power to decide on key spending and could wrest some spending control from the House and Senate.

A White House official told reporters that Trump¡¯s strategy had a ¡°solid legal foundation¡± and that any legal challenge would fail.

Democrats have warned that any attempt to withdraw funds that Congress has approved will lead to a failure in negotiations to avoid a federal government shutdown later this year. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Trump¡¯s tactics were illegal, intended to indicate his intention of ignoring any spending laws passed by Congress, forcing the federal government to shut down at the end of September.

Some moderate Republicans also oppose Trump's call to halt Congressional-approved spending. Republican Senator Susan Collins, who represents Maine and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Trump's move was illegal. "Rather than trying to undermine the law, the appropriate approach is to find ways to reduce excessive spending through a bipartisan annual appropriations process," she said in a statement.

Since Trump took office in January this year, the United States has sharply cut foreign aid and has begun to cut down several federal agencies such as the U.S. International Development Agency, disrupting the operation of UN humanitarian agencies.

The latest move by the Trump administration "will make our budget situation or liquidity even more challenging," said Stefana Dijarric, a spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, on the 29th. (Liu Xi)