US lawmakers have just reclaimed $9 billion that had already been allocated to humanitarian organizations − which has not happened since 1999. By using the rare legislative process known as "rescission" (cancellation), both the House of Representatives and the Senate have written into law the international aid budget cuts that had been decided upon by Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk following Trump's arrival in office in January.

The executive branch's cancellation of these grants was challenged in court on the grounds that, according to the Constitution, only the legislative branch holds the "Power of the Purse," meaning the authority to spend public money. By regularizing the cuts unilaterally decreed by the White House, Congress has offered the US president a new cause for celebration.

The vote, finalized in the Senate on July 17, officially marks the end of USAID, the United States Agency for International Development, which was Trump's first target upon entering the White House. Founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, the agency had been responsible for distributing most of the now-revoked subsidies.

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