Trump Moves to Claw Back $9.4B Approved by Congress

The White House sent what's known as a "rescission request" to Congress on Tuesday, seeking to claw back $9.4 billion in funding—mostly for foreign aid and public broadcasting— that lawmakers have already approved. The move seeks to enshrine the cuts made by Elon Musk's DOGE, and House Speaker Mike Johnson has pledged to pass it, the Guardian reports. "This rescissions package reflects many of DOGE's findings and is one of the many legislative tools Republicans are using to restore fiscal sanity," Johnson said. "Congress will continue working closely with the White House to codify these recommendations, and the House will bring the package to the floor as quickly as possible."

The cuts include $8.3 billion from the State Department and USAID and $1.1 billion set aside to fund public broadcasters over the next two years. Last month, the White House accused NPR and PBS of receiving "millions from taxpayers to spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as 'news.'" If Congress approves the move, it won't make much of a dent in the national debt, the AP reports. The request accounts for only around 0.1% of the $7 trillion the government is expected to spend this year. Congress has 45 days to consider the request, which can be passed by a simple majority in both chambers, though some Republican senators are unlikely to approve it as-is.

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski says public broadcasting provides a vital service in her state and Maine Sen. Susan Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, opposes cutting the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, NPR reports. She said the program started by George W. Bush is "one of the most successful public health programs in the world without a doubt." "I will not support a cut in PEPFAR, which is a program that has saved literally millions of lives and has been extremely effective and well run," Collins said. (More government spending stories.)