A heated Senate hearing turned emotional Wednesday as Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) accused President Trump’s budget director, Russell Vought, of bearing responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of children due to deep foreign aid cuts.
Vought, who heads the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee to defend the administration’s latest round of proposed budget cuts, known as a rescissions package. But the discussion quickly turned into a political flashpoint over humanitarian aid and its consequences.
Merkley cited a study from Boston University that estimated around 246,000 child deaths could be linked to Trump-era reductions to foreign programs such as USAID and PEPFAR. He called the administration’s move “irresponsible” and accused Vought of unlawfully halting life-saving programs.
“We’re talking a quarter million children dead because of your decision to shut down programs that Congress funded and authorized,” Merkley said. “How do you live with that?”
Vought strongly pushed back, defending the administration’s right to reassess spending priorities. “Every administration has the authority to conduct a programmatic review and propose changes based on its policy goals,” he said.
But Merkley wasn’t convinced. “I find your response both ignorant and callous,” he snapped.
The clash came amid broader frustrations from both sides of the aisle. Protesters briefly disrupted the hearing, and Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also voiced opposition to some of the proposed cuts.
Murkowski criticized the administration’s effort to defund public broadcasting, which she said is vital for emergency communications in rural Alaska.
McConnell warned that slashing foreign aid undermines U.S. global influence. “These aren’t just handouts,” he said. “They are strategic investments that save lives and counter our adversaries like China.”
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) accused Vought of trying to sidestep congressional authority, demanding answers about which countries would be affected.
“Are you walking away from humanitarian crises in the Pacific? In Jordan? In Africa?” she pressed. Vought denied that American interests abroad would be jeopardized but was cut off before he could elaborate.
Trump’s budget cuts target numerous programs, including some NPR funding, foreign medical aid, and development efforts. Vought insisted many of these programs “sound benevolent but fund activities that are not aligned with American values.”
Despite the fierce pushback, Vought maintained that fiscal discipline was necessary.
“The American people voted for change,” he said. “President Trump is committed to putting our fiscal house back in order and making sure taxpayer money serves American interests.”
The rescissions package remains a hot-button issue on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are weighing the moral and strategic impact of the cuts against the backdrop of rising deficits and global instability.
