ABC News: Despite battle with Congress, Trump administration slow-walking $4 billion in aid, including key funds for Ukraine

“…Last Thursday, President Donald Trump stood down on what’s called a rescission package that would have canceled about $4 billion of funds from the budget for the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development. … The programs come from 10 areas, including global health, assistance to Europe to counter Russia and China, United Nations peacekeeping operations and countering drug trafficking. … While the White House agreed [to drop the rescission package], OMB quietly mandated that the State Department keep in place caps on spending for these programs … One source told ABC News there’s concern that given the 2% cap, the department won’t be able to spend all the money in the next month and could therefore lose it, arguing it would be a way of making the original rescission package happen but without formally notifying Congress…” (Finnegan/McLaughlin, 8/31).