House sends $9.4B rescissions package to Senate after narrow victory
the house of Representatives has narrowly passed a $9.4 billion rescissions package aimed at slashing funding for various programs, including public broadcasting services like PBS and NPR and foreign aid initiatives. The legislation, known as the Rescissions Act of 2025, was approved with a vote of 214 too 212, despite concerns from centrist Republicans who worried about the potential negative impact of funding cuts on local affiliates.House Speaker Mike Johnson successfully garnered the necessary votes, even though four Republicans opposed the bill.
This package includes notable cuts of $1.1 billion to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and $8.3 billion to the U.S. Agency for International Development, among other reductions. Some lawmakers, such as Rep. Mark Amodei, voiced their concerns, emphasizing that local stations are vital community resources. The bill will now move to the senate,where it awaits a vote that will likely happen in July as the Senate tackles other legislative priorities. senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated that the timeline for voting on the rescissions package depends on the progress of a budget reconciliation bill.
House sends $9.4 billion rescissions package to Senate after narrow victory
The House narrowly passed a $9.4 billion rescissions package on Thursday, marking a win for leadership and President Donald Trump, despite concerns that a bloc of centrist Republicans uncomfortable with the cuts to public broadcasting would sink the bill.
The Rescissions Act of 2025, which slashes budgets for PBS, NPR, USAID, and other aid programs, passed the chamber, 214 to 212. Four Republicans voted against it, giving House Speaker Mike Johnson enough votes to get the legislation over the finish line.
The package calls for slashing $1.1 billion earmarked for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which runs PBS and NPR. It also calls for $8.3 billion in cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development and the African Development Foundation, as well as proposed slashes to areas within the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
Centrist lawmakers had expressed concerns over the PBS and NPR funding cuts, as it would harm local affiliates in both blue and red states.
Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) said Wednesday he understood if people wanted to punish national stations for their editorial stances against the president, but cutting the funding does harm to local stations who are “important pieces of infrastructure in their communities.”
“It’s easier for the nationals to raise money if they got to make up for some deficit, for some funding, than it is these guys,” the Nevada Republican said.
Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) also expressed concerns over the cuts to broadcasting, noting that they have strong relationships with their state’s local affiliates or have heard from GOP constituents who don’t want to see a rollback in funding.
Malliotakis also added she’s concerned about a blanket rescissions package that isn’t clear about what programs are going to be cut “within those accounts.”
“I don’t wanna be in that situation where give this discretion, these cuts are made, and then we have to go and fight to get the money restored because we didn’t agree with them,” the New York congresswoman said Wednesday.
The recissions package now heads to the Senate, where it needs just a simple majority of 50 votes to pass.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) confirmed to reporters Thursday that a vote on the rescissions package would not come until July, as the Senate works to pass a budget reconciliation bill, as well.
“We’ll do reconciliation first,” Thune said. “So, I would expect that rescissions package probably would be a July timeframe.”
FREEDOM CAUCUS DEMANDS PASSAGE OF $9.4 BILLION RESCISSIONS PACKAGE ‘IMMEDIATELY’
After the White House sent the rescissions package on June 3, it started a 45-day clock to get it passed, which would be Aug. 5 if counting weekdays.
Republicans are hoping to have their reconciliation package on Trump’s desk by July 4, though some Senate GOP lawmakers have expressed they believe that goal line is unrealistic as of now.
Ramsey Touchberry contributed to this report.
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