SCOOP: House fiscal hawks warily accept Senate's $9B Trump spending cuts package
The House of Representatives must pass the bill, called a rescissions package, by Friday.
Rescissions packages are spending cuts requested by the White House of funds that Congress already appropriated for that fiscal year.
It's a process that lets Republicans sideline Democrats by lowering the Senate's threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51, but the request must be considered within 45 days. If that window passes, the funds must be re-obligated.
As of Thursday morning, at least three conservatives – Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., and Ralph Norman, R-S.C. – signaled to Fox News Digital that they are leaning toward supporting it.
It's good news for House GOP leaders who are dealing with a razor-thin, three-vote margin.
A group of House conservatives wrote to the Senate earlier this week warning them not to change any part of the original $9.4 billion spending cuts package – though they stopped short of threatening to vote against it.
The Senate version of the bill rolled back a spending cut for an HIV/AIDS research program in Africa after concerns were raised by Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, and others.
It wound up passing 51-48 after 2 a.m. on Thursday, with Collins and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voting against the bill.
It's highly unlikely the minimal change will stir a significant rebellion, particularly after the White House green-lit the change. But leaders can afford few missteps.
Like the House, the Senate GOP's majority is just three votes – and with all Democrats in both chambers prepared to vote against the legislation, Republicans are counting every vote.
Roy told Fox News Digital he would support the bill on the House floor "if I understand what [the] Senate passed correctly."
Burchett said, "I think so," when asked if he would vote for the bill, and Norman responded, "yes," when asked as well.
Of the three, just Norman signed conservatives' letter warning, "In order to facilitate President Trump's voter mandate, the Senate must pass the entire $9.4 billion of spending cuts in the rescission bill. Weakening any of these provisions would undermine both his leadership and the discipline our budget urgently demands."
The bill would cut roughly $8 billion from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which deals federal grants to NPR and PBS.
It's expected to come before the House Rules Committee sometime Thursday, the final gatekeeper before a chamber-wide vote.
If the House passes it on Thursday or Friday, it heads to President Donald Trump's desk for a signature.
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