WASHINGTON (Reuters) — In a significant win for President Donald Trump, the U.S. Senate early Thursday narrowly approved his proposal to slash $9 billion in government spending, primarily targeting foreign aid and public broadcasting. The vote passed 51-48, giving Trump another legislative victory as he consolidates influence over a largely compliant Congress.
The package, known as a “rescission,” includes the complete elimination of $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting over the next two years, and deep cuts to international assistance programs meant to aid countries facing crises like war, disease, and natural disasters.
Trump and many Republicans argue public broadcasting is a nonessential expense and claim its reporting displays bias against conservatives.
Standalone rescissions have rarely passed in modern times, as lawmakers are typically hesitant to relinquish their constitutional power of the purse. But with Republicans holding slim majorities in both chambers and offering little resistance since Trump began his second term in January, the measure advanced swiftly.
Though the $9 billion in cuts represent a small fraction of the $6.8 trillion federal budget, they are part of broader efforts by the Trump administration to scale back government spending. Much of that effort is being led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has spearheaded wide-ranging budget rollbacks.
As of mid-June, Trump had frozen an estimated $425 billion in congressionally approved funds, according to Democratic lawmakers.
The House passed the cuts last month in a 214-212 vote, with four Republicans joining Democrats in opposition. Some GOP senators also raised concerns, particularly over cuts to global health programs.
Facing backlash, the Trump administration made a late adjustment: Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, announced that PEPFAR — the U.S. global initiative to combat HIV/AIDS launched by President George W. Bush — would be spared. This reduced the total cuts from $9.4 billion to $9 billion and triggered a new House vote before the bill heads to Trump’s desk for final approval.
The Senate had until Friday to act, or the rescission request would have expired, forcing the administration to follow existing spending legislation.
Republican Dissent and Democratic Opposition
Two Republican senators — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine — broke ranks and voted against the package.
“You don’t need to gut the entire Corporation for Public Broadcasting,” Murkowski said on the Senate floor. She also criticized the administration for failing to guarantee continued funding for global disease prevention efforts like malaria and polio, emphasizing the need for Congress to maintain control over how funds are allocated.
Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota praised the move as a “small but important step toward fiscal sanity.”
Democrats rejected that framing. They noted that congressional Republicans recently passed a tax-and-spending package projected to add over $3 trillion to the national debt, now at $36.2 trillion.
“Today, Senate Republicans turned this chamber into a subservient rubber stamp for the executive branch,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said. “They embrace the credo of cut, cut, cut now, and ask questions later.”
Democrats also warned that undoing bipartisan spending agreements — including one passed in March — could complicate negotiations on critical government funding bills due by September 30. Unlike rescission bills, which require only a simple majority in the Senate, appropriations legislation needs 60 votes and thus bipartisan support.
With Trump promising more rescission packages to come, the vote signals a turning point in how Congress — particularly its Republican members — is willing to relinquish its traditional budgetary authority in favor of the White House.
