This story first appeared in Power Shift, The Yappie's weekly newsletter on national AAPI power, politics, and influence. Subscribe for free here.
AAPI health, immigration, and business outcomes could worsen under a new Trump proposal aimed at eliminating “wasteful and harmful spending.”
The directive would rescind:
- $567 million from refugee and entrant assistance, including funds for the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
- $10 million from the Minority Business Development Agency, which was created in 1969 to drive economic equity and address the racial wealth gap in America.
- $15 million from Biden-era grant programs that fund legal aid and mental health services for asylum seekers and immigrants.
- $5 million from Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health, which focuses on addressing health disparities and expanding culturally competent services.
The fine print: The legality of pocket rescissions—where a presidential administration requests the cancellation of congressionally appropriated funds—has been heavily debated as an issue of potential executive overreach.
- The U.S. Government Accountability Office has previously deemed such maneuvers illegal since they bypass the legislative branch’s “power of the purse.”
Our take: The White House claims funding for many of these measures is unconstitutional because they primarily support members of minority populations.
- Though Trump’s proposal could face legal disputes, that reasoning could easily expand to future restrictions on other programs that benefit AAPIs at large.
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