Trump Signs Bill Canceling $9 Billion in US Spending After House Passage

Strategic Insights -

The US House passed a bill on Friday, July 2, 2025, that would cancel $9 billion in previously approved spending for public broadcasting and foreign aid, marking the second time in over three decades Congress has approved a presidential rescissions request. The bill, which sends the measure to President Donald Trump for his signature, passed by a mostly party-line vote of 216-213. Two Republican lawmakers, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mike Turner of Ohio, joined Democrats in opposing the bill. The Senate had previously voted to pass the bill, removing a section that would have eliminated funding for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Key Takeaways:

  • The $9 billion in spending cuts include $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides funding for National Public Radio, the Public Broadcasting Service, and local stations throughout the country.
  • The cuts will also eliminate $8 billion in foreign aid, including programs addressing global health and democracy initiatives.
  • The White House budget office's original rescissions request included more than a dozen accounts for reduced spending, with $500 million slated for cancellation from the US Agency for International Development, citing concerns over "family planning" and "reproductive health" programs.
  • The final bill maintains funding for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, nutrition, and maternal and child health programs, and excludes funding cuts for "family planning and reproductive health programs."
  • Lawmakers included nearly all of the White House's original requests in the bill, without any caveats or additional guardrails.
  • This marks the second time Congress has approved a presidential rescissions request, with the first occurring in 1992 during the George H.W. Bush administration.

Statistics:

  • The $9 billion in spending cuts represent a significant reduction in public broadcasting and foreign aid budget allocations.
  • The cuts will result in a reduction of $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
  • The $8 billion in foreign aid cuts include programs addressing global health and democracy initiatives, with $500 million slated for cancellation from the US Agency for International Development.
  • The final bill maintains $83 million in funding for the State Department's democracy fund.

Sources:

  • US House of Representatives, "Vote on H.J. Res. 234: Authorizing the cancellation of interim appropriations and rescissions" (July 2025)
  • News from the States, "US Senate Republicans vote to claw back funding for NPR, PBS, foreign aid programs" (July 2025)
  • Congressional Research Service, "Rescission Proposals in the 107th Congress: An Analysis" (1992)
  • White House budget office, "Rescissions Request to Congress" (2025)