Latest news with #EmergencyPlanforAIDSRelief
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate GOP nails down deals on DOGE cuts in bid to avoid tax bill tumult
Senate GOP leaders are looking to avoid a repeat of the lengthy and sometimes bewildering floor process that led to the passage of the Trump tax bill by locking down key details with holdouts before the chamber moves to a vote-a-rama Wednesday on a bill to claw back funding. A number of rank-and-file members indicated in recent days that they hoped leadership would do everything possible to sidestep the tumult that engulfed the conference days before July 4 and limit the side deals that were being worked out at the last minute. All indications Tuesday were that leaders were attempting to do just that. They resolved two key issues — protecting the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program and some rural broadcasters — a day before a key vote-a-rama is set to happen. Congress has until Friday to send the bill, known as a rescissions package, to President Trump's desk. It contains a request to claw back $9 billion in already appropriated funds for foreign aid and public broadcasting. 'Thune's been really transparent on all of this,' Sen. Shelley Moore Capito ( said, pointing to the pre-vote-a-rama effort and push to limit potential side deals. The White House and Senate GOP members made massive strides Tuesday toward a potential final green light to pass the bill. Early in the day, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) announced he was on board with the package after striking a deal to ensure radio stations in tribal communities continue to receive funding. He had been concerned about the effect cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — which helps fund NPR and PBS — would have on Native American areas that rely on those stations. Rounds told reporters that the administration is reallocating Biden-era 'Green New Deal money' to fund those broadcasters, unlocking his vote in the process. 'I think it was caught in the crossfire,' Rounds said about the provision. 'They understood my concern. They recognized this is not something people necessarily wanted to cut out. These were not part of the targeted groups that a lot of folks have problems with, and they provide a real service in rural areas.' The bigger news came hours later, when negotiators announced that planned PEPFAR cuts were out of the bill entirely, potentially unlocking the support of multiple moderates who had fretted about their inclusion, including Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Neither moderate has said how they will vote. The move also strips $400 million from the bill, bringing the rescissions total down from $9.4 billion to $9 billion. 'White House is supportive. Everybody's on the same page,' Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), the lead sponsor of the bill, told reporters. The news emerged after Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought appeared at the weekly Senate GOP luncheon to discuss the package, which statutorily must be completed by Friday. 'It's substantially the same package, and the Senate has to work its will and we've appreciated the work along the way to get to a place where they've got the votes,' Vought said after lunch. 'There is a substitute amendment that does not include the PEPFAR rescission and we're fine with that.' Murkowski and Collins were the foremost opponents of the cuts to PEPFAR, which was launched by former President George W. Bush more than two decades ago. Collins had already shown her potential independence by voting against the Trump tax bill last week, while Murkowski demanded a number of last-minute deals to secure her vote. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters after lunch that there was 'a lot of interest' in making PEPFAR changes, labeling it a 'small modification.' He also believes the change will not cause issues across the Capitol — because the Senate is making changes to the bill, it must return to the House before heading to Trump's desk. 'I wouldn't say anything's prebaked,' Thune said when asked if the topic was run by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). 'Obviously, it's something we've been working closely with the administration on, and my assumption is that the level of coordination that we've had … that they [the House] would take [it] up.' Rank-and-file Senate GOP members still hope leaders limit further changes by the time it hits the lower chamber. 'It would be nice if we didn't have to inflict so much pain on ourselves,' Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told The Hill. 'How bad can it be?' 'Some people want to refine the rescissions a bit. They want more detail,' he continued. 'I'm with it as it is. … It's just time to rein some of that back in.' Nevertheless, some members are seeking further changes via the amendment process. 'Sure, in an ideal world. But this is legislating,' Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said about the prospect of cutting out side deals. Hawley noted plans to file an amendment that would add $5 billion more in cuts to the package in a bid to slash a 'Green New Deal loan' that would affect his state, though he said he wasn't even sure it complies with the rules of the pending vote-a-rama. 'I'd like to make it bigger,' he added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate tees up debate on package to claw back public broadcasting, foreign aid funds
Vice President Vance broke a tie Tuesday night to allow the Senate to begin debate on a bill to claw back billions of dollars in funding previously authorized by Congress for foreign aid and public broadcasting. The chamber voted 51-50 to begin debate on the package of cuts. Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine) and Mitch McConnell (Ky.) joined all Democrats in voting against the motion. The vote came shortly after the trio also voted against discharging the rescissions package from the Appropriations Committee, forcing Vance to break that tie as well. Senators expect a marathon voting session on potential changes to the bill in the day ahead as Senate leaders look to pass the measure ahead of a looming Friday deadline. The bill, which passed the House last month, calls for about $8 billion in cuts to the United States Agency for International Development and other foreign aid, and more than $1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Murkowski and Collins both expressed concerns about the cuts to public broadcasting and the way the rescissions package had been presented to Congress. 'I don't want us to go from one reconciliation bill to a rescissions package to another rescissions package to a reconciliation package to a continuing resolution. We're lawmakers. We should be legislating,' Murkowski said on the Senate floor earlier Tuesday. Collins, in a statement, said, 'I recognize the need to reduce excessive spending and I have supported rescissions in our appropriations bills many times, including the 70 rescissions that were included in the year-long funding bill that we are currently operating under. But to carry out our Constitutional responsibility, we should know exactly what programs are affected and the consequences of rescissions.' The vote comes after the Trump administration worked with Republicans on potential changes to the package after some expressed concerns about the scope of cuts. White House budget chief Russell Vought told reporters Tuesday that the administration would be 'fine with' an amendment to the package that shields the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) from proposed cuts in the package. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), who had previously held off from backing the package due to concerns about how tribal stations would fare proposed public media cuts, also said he'd support the plan after striking a deal with the administration. Rounds said Tuesday he worked with OMB on a deal that would redirect some funding approved under the Biden administration as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. 'We have an agreement with OMB to resource the funds from other already allocated funding through what had been [former President] Biden's Green New Deal program, and we'll take that money and we'll reallocate it back into the tribes to take care of these radio stations that have been granted this money for the next two years,' Rounds told reporters Tuesday. While the CPB provides some funding to National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, which have come under heavy GOP scrutiny as the party has leveled allegations of bias against the media organizations, Republicans in both chambers have raised concerns the cuts could have a disproportionate effect on rural and tribal stations. Top Republicans are ramping up work to lock down support for Trump's package to claw back previously congressionally approved funds. The party's 53-47 majority means it can afford to lose three votes in the Senate, with the help of Vance's as the tiebreaker. Congress has until July 18 to pass the legislation under the special rescissions process initiated by the White House last month that allows the Senate to approve the funding cuts with a simple majority vote, bypassing expected Democratic opposition. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill to claw back public media, foreign aid funds clears key Senate hurdle with Vance breaking tie
Senate Republicans on Tuesday narrowly cleared a key procedural hurdle on the path to clawing back billions of dollars in funding previously authorized by Congress for foreign aid and public broadcasting. Vice President Vance had to break the 50-50 tie vote after three Republicans — Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine) and Mitch McConnell (Ky.) — voted against a motion to discharge the rescissions package out of the Senate Appropriations Committee, allowing the full upper chamber to advance to consideration of the package. The bill, which passed the House last month, calls for $8.3 billion in cuts to the United States Agency for International Development and foreign aid, and more than $1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Congress has until July 18 to pass the legislation under the special rescissions process initiated by the White House last month that allows the Senate to approve the funding cuts with a simple majority vote, bypassing expected Democratic opposition. Top Republicans are ramping up work to lock down support for Trump's package to claw back previously congressionally approved funds. The party can afford to lose three votes in the Senate. Murkowski and Collins both expressed concerns about the cuts to public broadcasting and the way the rescissions package had been presented to Congress. 'We do rescissions in our annual budget, bills, in our own appropriations bills, in fact, bills that we are working on right now as appropriators,' Murkowski said from the floor ahead of the vote. Murkowski also expressed concern that the administration hasn't been able to provide 'very transparent explanation about the programs and the priorities that are going to be cut as a result of the measure.' She additionally expressed concerns about public media cuts, saying lawmakers can work to address potential bias in coverage, but that there isn't a need to 'gut the entire Corporation for Public Broadcasting.' 'But more important than all of that, more important is our role here. I don't want us to go from one reconciliation bill to a rescissions package to another rescissions package to a reconciliation package to a continuing resolution. We're lawmakers. We should be legislating,' she said. The vote comes after the Trump administration worked with Republicans on potential changes to the package after some, including Collins and Murkowski, expressed concerns about the scope of cuts. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told reporters on Tuesday that the administration would be 'fine with' an amendment to the package that shields the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) from proposed cuts in the package. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), who had previously held off from backing the package due to concerns about how tribal stations would fare with proposed public media cuts, also said he'd support the plan after a deal with the administration. Rounds said Tuesday that he worked with OMB on a deal that would redirect some funding approved under the Biden administration as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. 'We have an agreement with OMB to resource the funds from other already allocated funding through what had been [former President] Biden's Green New Deal program, and we'll take that money and we'll reallocate it back into the tribes to take care of these radio stations that have been granted this money for the next two years,' Rounds told reporters Tuesday. While the CPB provides some funding to NPR and PBS, which have come under heavy GOP scrutiny as the party has leveled allegations of bias against the media organizations, Republicans in both chambers have raised concerns the cuts could have a disproportionate effect on rural and tribal stations. In a statement later on Tuesday, Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said while she was pleased the administration 'abandoned its original request to impose a $400 million cut to PEPFAR,' the 'excessive cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would harm local programming and the accessibility to popular programs like 'Antiques Road Show' and 'Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.'' 'I recognize the need to reduce excessive spending and I have supported rescissions in our appropriations bills many times, including the 70 rescissions that were included in the year-long funding bill that we are currently operating under,' she said. 'But to carry out our Constitutional responsibility, we should know exactly what programs are affected and the consequences of rescissions.' Shortly after the discharge vote, Vance again broke a tie to allow the Senate to begin debating the bill. That will be followed by a series of amendment votes known as a vote-a-rama, and then final passage. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
White House likely to send another rescissions package to Congress
White House budget chief Russell Vought said Thursday that the administration is likely to send another rescissions package to Congress to claw back previously approved spending. Vought's comments came as Republicans on Capitol Hill appeared poised to revoke $9 billion in previously approved federal funding as part of an initial package of cuts put forward by the White House. 'I don't want to get ahead of the package itself,' Vought said of a future proposal during an event hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. Vought did not provide specifics about what funds would be targeted or a timeline for when the next package would be sent to Congress, but told reporters, 'It's likely to come soon.' The administration has targeted government spending for cuts it has deemed wasteful or that does not align with the president's 'America first' agenda. 'There is still a great enthusiasm for these rescissions bills,' Vought said. The $9 billion package, which was passed by the Senate early Thursday morning and will head to the House for a final vote, targets money for global aid programs and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds National Public Radio and PBS, organizations President Trump and his allies accuse of liberal bias. The White House agreed to an amendment to remove from the package $400 million in cuts to the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief global anti-AIDS initiative in the face of GOP pushback. Even as the bill is expected to reach the president's desk once it passes the GOP-controlled House, some Republicans have expressed frustration about a perceived lack of information in the White House's request. Vought pushed back on those criticisms Thursday. He argued the administration provided the same amount of detail as previous rescissions packages, laying out dollar amounts for programs the administration wanted to cut. 'People always want more detail,' Vought said. 'We provided all the detail that was needed.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Congress sends bill clawing back $9B in foreign aid, public media funds to Trump's desk
House Republicans late Thursday night approved the first batch of cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), sending the $9 billion package to President Trump's desk in a big victory for the GOP. The legislation — which claws back already-approved federal funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting — cleared the chamber in a mostly party-line 216-213 vote less than one day after the Senate passed the measure. Two Republicans, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) and Mike Turner (Ohio), voted with every Democrat against the measure. Trump is expected to sign the bill soon, as Republicans face a Friday deadline to enact the cuts or release the funds to the organizations they were appropriated for. 'The Republican Party and President Trump and everybody that works on our side has promised fiscal responsibility and fiscal discipline and we're delivering on those promises again tonight,' Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters after the vote, later adding: 'I'm delighted to send that over to the president's desk for signature and he'll sign that quickly.' 'We're gonna downsize the scope of government,' he said. 'Government is too large, it does too many things and it does almost nothing well. We believe in a limited government that's accountable and efficient and effective for the people and we're gonna continue to demonstrate that through our actions here on the floor.' The package takes aim at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS — two outlets that Republicans have labeled as biased — as well as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which DOGE targeted early in the Trump administration. Republicans see the bill as a critical 'test run' for the party, as Trump administration officials have already indicated they aim to send multiple special requests to Congress to claw back more funding if the first package makes it through. The request initially sent by the White House, known as a rescissions package, called for $9.4 billion in cuts to federal funding previously approved by Congress, including $8.3 billion for USAID and foreign aid, as well as more than $1 billion in public broadcasting funds. But the White House ended up agreeing to exempt the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which was established under former President George W. Bush in 2003 and totaled about $400 million, after those cuts became a critical point of contention for moderate GOP lawmakers. Republicans said they also reached a deal with the administration seeking to shield tribal stations from cuts to the Corporation For Public Broadcasting. Republicans in both chambers have voiced strong support for the overall package and say the cuts are overdue. Many in the party have long scrutinized the scope of funding for foreign aid and accused public radio and television of political bias. But the proposal also saw some resistance from Senate GOP appropriators earlier this week. The skeptics scolded the administration for trying to make an end run around the normal appropriations process and complained the request didn't have enough information, particularly when compared to the last rescissions request approved by Congress under former President George H. W. Bush. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) specifically singled out a proposed $2.5 billion in cuts to the Development Assistance account. She noted in a statement that the account 'covers everything from basic education, to water and sanitation, to food security,' but said lawmakers still lacked key details as to how those programs would be affected. White House budget chief Russell Vought told reporters on Thursday that the administration 'gave the same amount of detail and information that previous rescissions packages had.' 'This is the same level of detail that appropriators do when they provide a bill,' he argued. 'They say this is the amount that we're providing, or they have a rescission, and they put the amount of rescission, same thing that they do.' He added that he respected people 'who are making the argument,' but he disagreed, noting the Office of Budget and Management worked with House appropriators while crafting the request. Some Republicans have also warned the president's use of the rare tool to secure cuts to funding previously approved by Congress risks further eroding trust between both parties as lawmakers ramp up their annual funding work. Vought said Thursday that another rescissions package is 'likely to come soon,' though he stopped short of offering specifics as to what programs could be on the chopping block. Senate Democrats have warned the passage of this rescissions package and further efforts by the Trump administration to claw back funding with GOP-only votes threaten already fragile bipartisan negotiations to hash out full-year government funding bills. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) earlier this month said passage of the rescissions package 'would be an affront to the bipartisan appropriations process.' 'That's why a number of Senate Republicans know it is absurd for them to expect Democrats to act as business as usual and engage in a bipartisan appropriations process to fund the government, while they concurrently plot to pass a purely partisan rescissions bill to defund those same programs negotiated on a bipartisan basis behind the scenes,' he continued, later adding: 'This is beyond a bait and switch – it is a bait and poison-to-kill.' At the same time, Vought also told reporters Thursday that the annual appropriations process 'has to be less bipartisan.' He added that the power of the purse remains with Congress, but he continued: 'It's a ceiling. It is not a floor. It is not the notion that you have to spend every last dollar of that.' Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, told The Hill shortly after his comments that Vought was 'absolutely wrong.' 'We have the power of the purse here, and we are not going to stand back and let the administration erode that.' With less than 20 legislative days on the calendar ahead of a Sept. 30 government shutdown deadline, both chambers are running behind in marking up and pushing their annual funding bills across the floor — increasing the likelihood that Congress will have to resort to a stopgap measure to keep the lights on and buy time for lawmakers to finish their funding work. But it remains an open question as to what that stopgap could look like. Asked if House GOP leadership has begun discussing plans for a short-term funding patch, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) told The Hill on Wednesday: 'No, we haven't talked about that.' 'We want the appropriations process to work and ultimately to get an agreement in a negotiation with the Senate, as the Senate finally starts passing bills,' he said. Updated at 1:22 a.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
