US Senate approves $9 billion cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting
The US Senate has narrowly passed a bill cutting $9 billion from previously approved federal spending, targeting foreign aid programs and public broadcasting funds. The measure, known as a rescissions package, passed 51-48 early Thursday after a marathon overnight session.
The Republican-led effort is part of President Donald Trump’s broader push to reduce federal spending. The bill now returns to the House of Representatives, which had earlier passed its own version proposing $9.4 billion in cuts, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
$8 billion in cuts from foreign aid and global health programs under USAID, the US Agency for International Development.
More than $1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, potentially impacting radio stations critical to rural communities.
Pepfar funding protected: Republicans dropped a controversial proposal to cut $400 million from Pepfar, the US-backed HIV/AIDS initiative, after internal disagreements.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised the move, calling it “a small but important step toward fiscal sanity that we all should be able to agree is long overdue.”
However, opposition was strong. All Democrats and two Republicans voted against the measure. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) opposed the bill due to cuts affecting public broadcasting.
The bill now heads back to the House, where its future remains uncertain. House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed frustration over the changes, stating:
“We wanted them to pass it unaltered like we did.”
Lawmakers have until Friday to finalize the legislation, after which the opportunity to implement the cuts will expire.
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