GOP-led Senate votes to cancel $9 billion in funding for foreign aid, NPR and PBS
The spending cuts package, requested by the White House, heads back to the House ahead of a Friday deadline for Trump to sign it into law.
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans, who hold the majority, voted Thursday morning to approve a spending cuts package requested by President Donald Trump, sending the legislation back to the House.
The rescissions proposal eliminates $9 billion in previously approved funding, targeting foreign aid and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports NPR and PBS. Republicans pushed it through using a seldom-used procedure that bypasses the 60-vote filibuster threshold, allowing them to alter a bipartisan spending deal along party lines.
The bill passed in a 51-48 vote following a grueling 13-hour amendment process. Two Republican senators — Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — broke with their party and voted against the final measure.
Democrats stood united in opposition, all voting no. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) missed both the amendment and final votes due to an overnight hospital stay for precautionary reasons after she began feeling unwell, her office reported.
The legislation now heads back to the House, which previously passed it by a slim 214-212 margin. The Senate amended the bill by removing $400 million in proposed cuts to PEPFAR, the U.S. program dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS globally.
To take effect, the president must sign the bill into law by midnight Friday.
“This $9 billion represents a tiny fraction — just a tenth of one percent — of total federal spending,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) during a Fox News appearance on Wednesday night. “But we must examine all parts of the budget to find and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse if we’re serious about getting our fiscal house in order. The status quo isn’t sustainable.”
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who led Senate Republicans for 18 years before stepping aside in January, initially opposed the bill at the procedural stage but supported sending it back to the House in Thursday’s vote.
McConnell criticized the administration for failing to provide a detailed explanation of how the rescinded funds would be used or redirected.
“I want to be clear: I’m not opposed to cutting spending. My issue is the lack of transparency,” McConnell told reporters. “They want a blank check. That’s not acceptable. They need to lay out their case.”
Ahead of the vote, Sen. Murkowski pointed to an earthquake and tsunami alert issued Wednesday along Alaska’s coast as an example of why public media remains vital.
“Some of my colleagues claim they’re going after ‘radical leftist organizations’ with these cuts — but in Alaska, these are simply stations that serve their communities,” Murkowski posted on X. “Their quick response to today’s earthquake highlights the critical public service they offer. These outlets provide local news, weather, and emergency alerts — often saving lives.”
Other GOP senators admitted they had reservations but still voted in favor.
“I think we’re going to look back and regret parts of this,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said on the Senate floor Wednesday. “There will be secondary and even tertiary consequences. When they appear, we’ll have to come back and fix what we missed.”
Later, speaking to NBC News, Tillis said he was “trying to maintain a hopeful outlook” regarding the implementation of the cuts.
“It doesn’t give enough specifics, which I’d prefer,” he added. “But if there’s a misstep, it will absolutely influence how I approach future rescission efforts.”
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also expressed discomfort with the process, though he backed the package “with reservations.”
He warned that lawmakers were ceding too much budgetary power to the executive branch. “This edges close to abandoning Congress’s constitutional responsibility under Article I,” Wicker said. “Congress controls the purse. The president enforces the law. In this case, specific dollar amounts will be cut — but it’s not Congress choosing what gets slashed. That will be left to the Office of Management and Budget at the White House. It’s essentially Congress handing over decision-making authority to the executive branch.”
“I’ve voiced my concerns,” Wicker continued, adding that despite those concerns, he planned to vote for the bill “because of the broader urgency” of dealing with the nation’s budgetary issues.
Wicker stood by his remarks on Wednesday, telling NBC News that while he had misgivings, he believed the rescission package was necessary.
“My comments speak for themselves,” he said.
These selfish, self serving asshats. Do not care. They are evil.
Fire them all since they have Abandoned Any responsibility for Not doing their job. Stop paying them & Save all that money.