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Congress is officially sending a package detailing $9 billion in spending cuts to President Donald Trump’s desk, minutes after midnight on Friday.
The bill, called a “rescissions package,” was approved by the House of Representatives in a late-night 216 to 213 vote after intense debate between Republicans and Democrats. Just two Republicans, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Mike Turner, R-Ohio, voted in opposition.
Friday was also the deadline for passing the legislation, otherwise the White House would be forced to re-obligate those funds as planned.
It’s a victory for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., but a mostly symbolic one – the spending cuts bill was largely seen by Trump allies as a test run of a fiscal claw-back process not used in more than two decades.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson ushered through President Donald Trump’s spending cuts (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“This bill tonight is part of continuing that trend of getting spending under control. Does it answer all the problems? No. $9 billion, I would say is a good start,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said during debate on the bill.
When signed by Trump, it will block $8 billion in funding to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and $1 billion to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the remainder of the fiscal year. The dollars had been allocated by Congress for the duration of fiscal year 2025.
Republicans celebrated it as a victory for cutting off the flow of U.S. taxpayer dollars to what they called “woke” initiatives abroad, while Democrats accused the right of gutting critical foreign aid.
Rescissions packages are a way for the president to have input in Congress’ yearly appropriations process. The White House sends a proposal to block some congressionally obligated funds, which lawmakers…
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