Top White House Developments - August 30, 2025

WASHINGTON -

1. President Trump Pursues U.S.-Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks A White House spokesperson confirmed that President Donald Trump remains engaged with both Russian and Ukrainian officials in an effort to convene a bilateral summit aimed at ending hostilities in Ukraine. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, emphasized that administration leaders believe a direct meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky could halt the killing and bring the war to a close. French President Emmanuel Macron had cautioned that if Russia fails to agree by Monday, it would signal that President Putin is merely “playing” President Trump-an assessment the White House firmly rejected as “absurd.” Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller defended the initiative, declaring that “no president in history has done more to advance the cause of peace”.

2. Pocket Rescission Package Cuts $4.9 Billion in Foreign Aid In a historic exercise of the Impoundment Control Act, President Trump notified Congress of his intention to withhold nearly $5 billion in congressionally approved foreign assistance, principally from the State Department and USAID. By invoking a “pocket rescission” at the close of the fiscal year, the administration aims to eliminate spending deemed inconsistent with its “America First” priorities. The move, the first of its kind in five decades, targets development assistance grants, United Nations contributions, peacekeeping operations, and democracy-promotion funds-and automatically lapses unless Congress acts within 45 days to reverse the rescission.

3. Secret Service Protection for Former Vice President Harris Ends Early President Trump signed a memorandum rescinding the extended Secret Service detail previously granted to former Vice President Kamala Harris. While a standard six-month protection period applies to former vice presidents, President Biden had extended Harris’s coverage at her staff’s request. The Trump memorandum directs the Department of Homeland Security to terminate any security measures beyond statutory requirements effective Monday, leaving Harris to tour the country without a federal security detail as she promotes her forthcoming memoir, 107 Days.

Reporting by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and The New York Times.