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4d ago

Senators Push Back on Trump’s $9.4 Billion Cuts to Foreign Aid and Public Media

Lawmakers face a July 18 deadline to approve or reject the House-passed rescissions measure

U.S. Capitol Police remove protesters after they began shouting in a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing as Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought began to testify on the rescissions package, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Susan Collins gavels in the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in on Wednesday.
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the proposed rescission package to cut funding for international aid and public media, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the rescissions package on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Overview

  • OMB Director Russell Vought defended the administration’s request at a June 25 hearing, arguing it targets programs “not in line with American interests.”
  • Senate Republicans including Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell and Lisa Murkowski voiced unease over proposed cuts to global health initiatives like PEPFAR.
  • Lawmakers also raised alarms about eliminating more than $1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and its support for rural radio and TV stations.
  • Sen. Patty Murray warned the package would undermine congressional authority and erase long-standing bipartisan investments.
  • Collins said she is working on a substitute proposal as the Senate prepares to act on the $9.4 billion rescissions by July 18.