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House Finalizes $9B Rescissions Plan Targeting PBS, Foreign Relief

House Finalizes $9B Rescissions Plan Targeting PBS, Foreign Relief/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The House has approved President Trump’s $9 billion budget cuts, slashing funds from public broadcasting and global aid programs. The move marks a rare successful use of a presidential rescissions request and deepens partisan divides over federal spending priorities. Democrats warn the cuts harm U.S. credibility abroad and hurt rural media access at home.

House Finalizes $9B Rescissions Plan Targeting PBS, Foreign Relief

Trump’s Budget Clawback Quick Looks

  • Total Cuts Approved: $9 billion
  • Public Broadcasting Hit: $1.1B pulled from CPB over two budget years
  • Foreign Aid Slashed: Nearly $8B cut, including refugee relief and democracy programs
  • Vote Tally: 216–213 in House, party-line 51–48 in Senate
  • Key GOP Supporters: Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Chip Roy, OMB Director Russ Vought
  • Dem Opposition: No Democrats supported the measure
  • Criticism: Accused of bypassing bipartisan budget processes
  • Impact on CPB: Cuts affect over 1,500 local stations, NPR, PBS
  • Foreign Policy Risks: Critics say it weakens U.S. leadership, empowers China
  • Next Steps: Trump expected to sign; more cuts likely in future rescission packages
House Finalizes $9B Rescissions Plan Targeting PBS, Foreign Relief

House Finalizes $9B Rescissions Plan Targeting PBS, Foreign Relief

Deep Look

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a significant budgetary maneuver, the House on Friday gave final approval to President Donald Trump’s request to claw back $9 billion in federal funding, primarily targeting public broadcasting and foreign aid programs. The move aligns with the administration’s push to defund what it deems politically skewed or fiscally irresponsible institutions.

The vote passed 216-213, narrowly clearing the chamber amid tense debates and intraparty friction. The cuts had previously cleared the Senate by a slim 51–48 margin, with no Democratic support in either chamber.

“This is about restoring fiscal sanity,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), hailing the move as a major win for conservatives and a shift away from what Trump calls “wasteful globalism and political propaganda at home.”

Targeting Public Broadcasting and Global Relief

The rescissions include:

  • $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) — nearly all its projected funding for the next two fiscal years
  • $800 million from refugee support services, including emergency shelter and family reunification
  • $496 million cut from disaster relief in conflict zones
  • $4.15 billion from global economic development and democracy programs

Trump officials argue that the CPB fosters political bias, while foreign aid cuts are framed as a demand for “other countries to do more.”

However, lawmakers from rural states voiced concern. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) noted that local stations in remote areas are often the sole source of emergency alerts — from landslides to tsunamis.

“It’s not just your news. It’s your tsunami alert, your landslide alert, your volcano alert,” Murkowski said.

In Alaska, that concern turned urgent as a 7.3 magnitude earthquake prompted public warnings via local stations during Senate deliberations.

Global Reputation at Risk?

Democrats warned that gutting foreign aid sends the wrong message globally — and provides an opening for Chinese influence in regions where the U.S. has historically led humanitarian and development initiatives.

“This isn’t America First,” said Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). “It’s China First because of the void we’re leaving behind.”

The rescissions also impact U.S. soft power tools, removing funding from democratic institution-building and public health outreach — areas already strained in conflict zones.

Though Republicans stripped out a proposed $400 million cut to PEPFAR, a bipartisan program combating HIV/AIDS, the rest of the foreign aid rollback remained intact.

The Future of Public Broadcasting

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR, PBS, and more than 1,500 local affiliates, stands to lose all allocated funds through 2027. The CPB said this could devastate local stations, especially in underserved and rural areas.

“This will result in real service reductions, particularly where alternatives don’t exist,” said Kate Riley, CEO of America’s Public Television Stations.

The White House argues that CPB’s programming is increasingly partisan and not a federal priority.

Rule-By-Rescission: New Normal?

What makes this move historic is its use of a rare presidential rescissions request, a tool that allows the president to propose budget take-backs on already approved spending. Thanks to procedural rules, the measure only required a simple majority to pass in the Senate.

Two Republicans — Sen. Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) — voted against it, citing concern over bypassing normal bipartisan appropriations processes.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), chair of the Armed Services Committee, supported the bill but warned,

“Let’s not make a habit of this.”

OMB Director Russ Vought responded that the slim $9 billion cut was a tactical starter:

“I knew it would be hard to pass something larger. But we’re just getting started.”

He confirmed that a second rescissions package may arrive soon.



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