U.S. Senate Approves Cuts to Foreign Aid and Public Broadcasting

By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate early on Thursday approved President Donald Trump’s plan for billions of dollars in cuts to funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting, marking another victory for the Republican president as he enhances control over Congress with minimal opposition.

The Senate voted 51 to 48 in favor of Trump’s request to cut $9 billion in spending previously approved by Congress.

Most cuts will affect programs assisting foreign countries suffering from disease, war, and natural disasters, while also eliminating all $1.1 billion the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was slated to receive over the next two years. Trump and many Republicans argue that public broadcasting expenses are unnecessary and criticize its news coverage as biased against the right.

Historically, standalone rescissions packages have faced challenges, as lawmakers are hesitant to surrender control over spending. However, Trump’s Republicans, holding narrow majorities in both the Senate and House, show little resistance to his policies since his second term began in January.

In the broader scope of the $6.8 trillion federal budget, the $9 billion in cuts is relatively minor, representing just a small fraction of the total funding approved that the Trump administration has been obstructing while pursuing further cuts. For instance, as of mid-June, Trump was blocking $425 billion in appropriated and approved funding.

Trump and his supporters promise additional rescission requests to reduce previously approved spending, claiming it’s to diminish the federal government’s size.

The House of Representatives passed the initial rescissions bill without changes to Trump’s request by a margin of 214-212 last month, with four Republicans joining 208 Democrats in opposition. After some Republican senators expressed concern over the cuts to global health programs, Russell Vought, the Office of Management and Budget director, stated that PEPFAR, aimed at combating HIV/AIDS and initiated in 2003 by President George W. Bush, would be exempted.

With this modification, the cuts package decreased to $9 billion from $9.4 billion, necessitating another House vote before being sent to the White House for Trump’s signature. The rescissions must pass by Friday, failing which the request will lapse, compelling the White House to follow existing Congressional spending plans.

Republican Opposition

Two of Senate’s 53 Republicans, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, sided with Democrats against the legislation.
Murkowski noted, “You don’t need to gut the entire Corporation for Public Broadcasting,” expressing concerns over the lack of guarantees for continuing disease control efforts worldwide, and emphasizing Congress’s responsibility in deciding federal fund expenditures.

Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune called Trump’s request a “small, but significant step toward fiscal sanity.” Democrats, however, criticized recent Republican actions, pointing to a recent tax and spending bill that could add upwards of $3 trillion to the national debt of $36.2 trillion.

Democratic leaders accused Republicans of sacrificing Congress’s Constitutionally-mandated authority over federal spending. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer remarked, “Today, Senate Republicans turn this chamber into a subservient rubber stamp for the executive, at the behest of Donald Trump,” and criticized the prevailing Republican strategy of “cut, cut, cut now, and ask questions later.”

The proposed cuts would undo bipartisan spending agreements solidified in a recent full-year stopgap funding bill passed in March, with Democrats warning that partisan cuts could complicate future negotiations on government funding bills, which need bipartisan support by September 30 to avert a shutdown. While appropriations bills typically need 60 votes in the Senate, the rescission package requires just 51, enabling Republicans to pass it without Democratic backing.