House passes rescissions package slashing $9 billion in federal funding for foreign aid, NPR and PBS
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House Republicans approved a clawback package Thursday that will cut $9 billion in previously approved federal outlays for foreign aid, NPR and PBS. 

The rescissions bill narrowly passed in the House with a vote of 216-213. Notably, Republican Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania and Mike Turner from Ohio sided with all present Democrats in opposing the bill.

The House was up against a Friday deadline to approve the bill, which had been sent to Congress by the White House in June. The intention was to formalize reductions in unnecessary expenditures, as identified by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Earlier, the Senate approved the bill on Thursday morning, although it faced opposition from Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, who joined all 46 present Democrats in voting against it. 

The latest House vote approved changes to the measure made by the Senate. It will now head to President Trump’s desk for his signature. 

The measure returns about $8 billion earmarked for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and upwards of $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which funds PBS and NPR — spending conservatives have long sought to slash. 

House Republicans had passed a form of the package early last month, but the Senate struggled over it for weeks amid various concerns about some of the cuts. 

Eventually, the Trump administration agreed to scrap plans to cut some $400 million from a federal program aimed at fighting AIDS worldwide.

An effort by Democrats in the House Rules Committee to tack on an amendment calling for the release of documents related to notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein was blocked by Republicans on the panel. 

Republicans in the Rules Committee opted to instead move forward with a nonbinding resolution backing the “public release of certain documents, records, and communications related to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who could have exercised his powers under the rules of lower chamber to speak for as long as he could in opposition of the measure, opted to give only a 15-minute speech Thursday night. 

Earlier this month, Jeffries used his so-called “magic minute” of debate delay passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for almost nine hours, shattering the record previously held by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought is expected to send other rescissions requests to Congress in the coming months.

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