Senate Republicans are weighing billions of dollars in spending cuts, targeting programs from PBS to global health initiatives, in response to a request from President Donald Trump.
The proposal to claw back about $9 billion in federal funding reflects a portion of the cuts pursued by the Department of Government Efficiency, formerly spearheaded by billionaire and ex-adviser Elon Musk.
The bill currently under consideration would impact the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS, and foreign aid agencies including the World Health Organization and U.S. Agency for International Development.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he expects the voting process to kick off in the evening of July 15, though a final decision would likely come late July 16 or even early the next day. Lawmakers have until July 18 before Trump’s request officially expires and current funding remains in place.
“I’m hopeful we’ll have the opportunity to get on that bill and to do something meaningful when it comes to reducing the size and scope of the federal government, particularly in areas of our government where we know there is waste, fraud and abuse,” Thune said in a press conference July 15.
This new push for spending reductions comes on the heels of Congress’ “big, beautiful bill” saga. Trump’s sweeping tax, spending and policy package squeaked through the legislature just ahead of his self-imposed July 4 deadline.
Broadcasting services squeezed
Republican lawmakers are looking at codifying a sliver of the almost $200 billion DOGE claims to have saved the federal government.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said the amounts being slashed represent “wasteful and unnecessary spending,” in the White House’s formal request to Congress.
That includes stripping a little more than $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Trump has set his sights on their recipient outlets NPR and PBS, accusing both of unfair news coverage.
If Congress moves ahead on these cuts, local stations are expected to bear the brunt of lost funding.
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Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, had originally withheld support for the bill over the impact on public broadcasting, but he announced his change of mind July 15, after he said an agreement was reached to protect tribal broadcast services in his home state.
Bulk of cuts hit foreign aid
The legislation predominantly proposes cuts to foreign aid, including international peacekeeping efforts and certain global health initiatives.
The Senate is set to remove one of the most controversial targets, though.
Republicans including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine had criticized proposed rescissions for global AIDS prevention programs. Thune said Tuesday they plan to remove that $400 million cut, bringing the bill’s total savings from $9.4 billion down to $9 billion and likely clearing one of the biggest hurdles for the upper chamber.
“We hope that if we can get this across the finish line in the Senate that the House would accept that one small modification,” Thune said.
When will Congress move on the cuts?
Some lower chamber lawmakers are already grumbling about the possibility of receiving a diluted version of the bill.
Rep. Ralph Norman, R-South Carolina, told Politico he will not agree to “a penny less” than what the House originally approved back in June.
Meanwhile, some Republican senators began the week saying they were still in search of details from the White House regarding exactly which programs and accounts would be touched before they could confidently back the bill.
“It’s important that we succeed on this package, because I hope this is just a warm up for what should be tens of billions of dollars worth of rescissions,” Thom Tillis said July 15. “I think we need to get it right.”
Vought joined Senate Republicans for lunch later that day, and during that meeting Sen. John Hoeven R-North Dakota, said the OMB director provided more information about where cuts would be made.
“Now, whether that meets the specificity that some members have asked for, I’m not sure,” Hoeven told reporters.
Vought, coming out of his lunch with lawmakers, said besides the AIDS prevention program exception, the bill is continuing on intact.
“I think everyone involved wants a successful result,” Vought said, adding. “We’ll focus on the Senate right now, then we’ll focus on it going back to the House.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to know about Congress’ $9 billion proposed spending cuts
