House Passes a $9.4 Billion Rescission Package in funding for Foreign Aid, NPR, PBS
On Thursday, June 12th, the House approved a rescissions package request from the White House to rescind funding for NPR, PBS, and international aid that lawmakers had previously approved. In a 214 to 212 vote, all but four House Republicans voted in favor of the measure, with all Democrats opposing.
The rescission package heads to the Senate where it only needs a simple majority to pass instead of the usual 60-vote threshold. It is part of an effort by the White House to codify cuts proposed by the Department of Government Efficiency, which was helmed by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Rescissions
Congress can cancel funds that the federal government has not yet spent but has previously appropriated under the rescissions process. Each year, Congress approves funding to keep the federal government running before the funds are distributed to agencies and programs. The president can temporarily defer funds or withhold them altogether, but only with Congress's approval.
The White House's official transmission of the rescission package on June 3 started the clock on a process that gives Congress 45 days to act. Rescission requests first go before relevant committees for consideration before moving to the full House and Senate for votes.
This current rescission package’s cuts include rescinding:
$1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which would effectively eliminate federal funding for NPR and PBS.
$2.5 billion in development assistance (out of $3.9 billion appropriated for (FY 25)
$1.65 billion for the Economic Support Fund that promotes economic and political stability in other countries.
$1 billion for global health programs and operating expenses at the U.S. Agency for International Development, which the Trump administration is attempting to fold into the State Department.
$496 million of the $4 billion Congress approved for international disaster assistance
$460 million appropriated to assist former communist countries in Europe and Central Asia
$400 million of $6 billion for global health programs like fighting HIV/AIDS
$142 million designated for UNICEF, the United Nations' children's fund
Overall, the $9.4 billion in savings is a drop in the bucket compared to the $2.4 trillion in new deficits that Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act would create, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Republicans are pushing to pass the larger bill through the Senate by July 4.
President Trump's and the House’s Response
Trump pushed Republicans to back the bill just ahead of the House vote, posting on Truth Social, “The Rescissions Bill is a NO BRAINER, and every single Republican in Congress should vote, ‘YES.’ MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
After the vote, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called the package a start to restoring “fiscal discipline” in Washington. “Today’s passage of this initial rescissions package marks a critical step towards a more responsible and transparent government that puts the interests of the American taxpayers first,” Johnson told reporters. “It’s just one of the ways that Republicans are codifying DOGE findings and putting taxpayer dollars to better use. “There will be more of this in the days to come,” he added.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, (D-NY), criticized the package as “reckless.” He continued that it would “undermine America’s national security, and hurt our ability to protect the American people. Republicans want to rip billions of dollars away from America’s efforts to keep her people safe and secure to satisfy some extreme ideological crusade related to a deeply unpopular effort formerly led by Elon Musk to devastate the American way of life.”
Senate Response
The package's fate in the Senate is not certain. Several senators have expressed concerns about some cuts, including to local broadcasters and global health programs like PEPFAR, a program that began under President George W. Bush to combat HIV/AIDS. It is credited with saving 26 million lives. Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the Senate could change the package.
The Senate has until July 18 to act on the legislation, or it will expire and the White House will be required to adhere to the spending plans passed by Congress. Presidential rescissions packages have not passed in years, because previous Congresses have not wanted to give up their constitutionally mandated control of government spending. For example, lawmakers rejected Trump's request to revoke $15 billion in spending in 2018, during his first term.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, have voiced concerns about cuts to PEPFAR saying "PEPFAR cuts make no sense to me whatsoever, given the extraordinary record of PEPFAR in saving lives," and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she opposes cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Noting that parts of her state rely on it to meet important needs. “Not only would a large portion of Alaska communities lose their local programming, but warning systems for natural disasters, power outages, boil water advisories, and other alerts would be severely hampered,” Murkowski said. “What may seem like a frivolous expense to some has proven to be an invaluable resource that saves lives in Alaska.”
During President Trump’s first term, he requested an approximately $15 billion rescission package that passed the House but failed in the Senate.