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The Senate early Thursday approved President Donald Trump’s plan to cut $9 billion in federal spending, delivering another win for conservatives and furthering efforts to reduce foreign aid and eliminate funding for public broadcasting.
The chamber voted 51-48 in favor of the rescissions package, with Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine joining Democrats in opposition.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who had initially voted against advancing the bill earlier in the week, ultimately supported it in the final vote. Vice President JD Vance cast a tie-breaking vote to move the legislation forward on Tuesday.
The legislation eliminates a wide range of foreign assistance programs that provide aid to countries grappling with disease, conflict, and natural disasters. It also strips the Corporation for Public Broadcasting of its entire $1.1 billion budget over the next two years.
“This is a small, but important step toward fiscal sanity,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
The plan is part of Trump’s broader initiative to rein in federal spending, spearheaded in part by the Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk. As of mid-June, the administration had frozen $425 billion in previously approved congressional funding, according to Democratic lawmakers monitoring the issue.
The House narrowly passed the measure last month by a 214-212 vote, with four Republicans joining Democrats in opposition. Following concerns from Senate Republicans over cuts to global health programs, the White House agreed to exempt PEPFAR, a longstanding initiative to combat HIV/AIDS, reducing the total amount cut from $9.4 billion to $9 billion.
“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,” Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told reporters at the time.
“There is a substitute amendment that does not include the PEPFAR rescission and we’re fine with that,” he added.
The change now requires another vote in the House before it can be sent to Trump for final approval. If the House does not vote to approve the updated measure by Friday, the rescissions request will expire, and the White House will be required to implement the full spending levels passed by Congress earlier this year.
