Russ Vought says the Trump administration has legal authority to use what he called “pocket rescissions” to prevent certain federal funds from being spent when Congress has not acted, while also arguing that large-scale deportations can reduce costs tied to illegal immigration.

Vought said the administration’s authority comes through the Impoundment Control Act and maintained that the Supreme Court has already upheld the approach.

“I don't believe so. The Supreme Court has already upheld our ability to use a pocket rescission at the end of the fiscal year, and that's aimed at these programs,” Vought said.

He explained that the mechanism is intended for programs the administration does not want to continue funding when Congress has failed to eliminate or change them.

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“Will that you're like we don't want to spend this money? We don't want to have these programs that exist, and we haven't been able to get Congress to act,” Vought said.

According to Vought, the administration can send Congress a notification near the end of the fiscal year and allow the funding to expire.

“This allows us at the end of the fiscal year. It is a provision of the Impoundment Control Act that Congress passed in the 1970s that allows us to send something up as basically as a notification, and then the money evaporates at the end of the fiscal year,” Vought said.

He again pointed to the Supreme Court in support of the policy.

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“And the Supreme Court has already upheld it last year,” Vought said.

Will Cain then connected the budget discussion to the broader economic consequences of illegal immigration, particularly housing costs and federal spending.

“You know, to to bring this full circle, Director, the conversation over illegal immigration is too often divorced from the economic impacts of illegal immigration,” Cain said.

He said the debate over immigration is often treated separately from the financial pressures it can place on communities.

“and I think it'd be fair to say we're seeing here with both housing and this pocket recision is the economic impact of illegal immigration,” Cain said.

Vought agreed and argued that the costs associated with illegal immigration had been widely understood before the political debate shifted.

“Absolutely, this is something I think was fairly obvious to people for the last 1020, years until President Trump came into office that illegal immigration costs communities money, higher rents,” Vought said.

He said the effects also extend to public education.

“It crowds out local school districts,” Vought said.

Vought argued that illegal immigration produces a wider range of economic consequences beyond housing and schools.

“It has a host of economic impacts,” he said.

He then tied those concerns directly to the administration’s deportation strategy, saying the goal is not limited to immigration enforcement itself but also includes reducing the financial burden on American communities.

“So when we say that we're going and trying to further this largest deportation in history, it is to lower the cost of the American people,” Vought said.

He added that the administration views deportations as serving public safety and legal enforcement goals as well.

“In addition to having a better rule of law and having safe communities,” Vought said.

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The exchange brought together two parts of the administration’s broader approach: reducing federal spending through rescissions and reducing the domestic costs Vought associates with illegal immigration.

Vought’s argument is that both policies are designed to lessen the burden on taxpayers and communities.

On the spending side, he said the administration can allow certain funds to expire when Congress has not acted. On immigration, he said reducing the number of illegal immigrants in the country could ease pressure on rents, schools and other local resources.

Cain framed the discussion as a reminder that illegal immigration is not only a border or law-enforcement issue, but also an economic one.

Vought agreed, saying the administration sees deportations as part of a larger effort to lower costs while strengthening public safety and the rule of law.

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