US Senate passes $9bn cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting funds
"It's a small but important step toward fiscal sanity that we all should be able to agree is long overdue," Senate Majority Leader John Thune said before the final vote.Senators had previously disagreed over a proposition in the House version of the bill that would have included roughly $400m in cuts to Pepfar, the US-backed HIV/Aids programme. Republicans were able to reach a majority after an amendment was made to keep the funding in the budget. However, dozens of other amendments to maintain international aid spending levels and funding for public broadcasting were rejected. The Senate version of the bill approved on Thursday would still cut roughly $8bn from multiple aid programmes, including global health programmes under USAID, the US's main philanthropic arm.The bill would also cut more than $1bn from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, disproportionately impacting radio stations relied upon by rural Americans.Senator Lisa Murkowski, from Alaska, was one of two Republicans who joined all Democrats in voting against the bill, in part due to the cuts to public broadcasting.The bill will next head to the House for a vote, where its path remains unclear after $400m was reduced from House-proposed spending cuts.When asked about the changes, House Speaker Mike Johnson said: "We wanted them to pass it unaltered like we did."Both the House and Senate must agree on a version of the rescissions package before it expires on Friday, and Republicans lose their chance to cut the funds.
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