Tax & Budget · Government·July 15, 2025
Budget reconciliation test vote splits GOP on foreign operations cuts
Senate Republicans split over Trump-backed $9 billion rescission
The Senate this week considered a Trump-backed rescissions package that would claw back about $9 billion from foreign aid and public broadcasting. Leaders advanced the package through a fast-track rescissions procedure that lets it pass by a simple majority and avoids the usual 60-vote filibuster. Some Republicans, led by Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, pushed back over proposed cuts to PEPFAR and to NPR and PBS. Senate leaders stripped a proposed $400 million cut to HIV/AIDS relief from the package to preserve PEPFAR funding and secure GOP votes. The vote split the Republican conference and highlighted tensions over foreign assistance and public media funding.
Key facts
The Senate considered a Trump-backed rescissions package in mid-Jul. 2025
Procedural votes were held Jul. 15–17, 2025
The package sought to claw back roughly $9.0–$9.4 billion in unspent federal funds It targeted foreign assistance and public broadcasting accounts.
Most cuts targeted foreign assistance, totaling about $8.3 billion
The package also sought roughly $1.1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and related accounts
Those figures shifted slightly as negotiators removed some proposed reductions Supporters said the cuts would free money for domestic priorities and border security.
Senators stripped a proposed $400 million cut to PEPFAR to broaden support
Removing that cut reduced the package from about $9.4 billion to roughly $9.0 billion
The change won support from some moderates but drew criticism from opponents Advocates warned the measure would still reduce life-saving global HIV funding.
The rescissions moved under the Impoundment Control Act, which allows rescissions by simple majority
That path bypassed the 60-vote filibuster requirement in the Senate
After procedural advancement, The Senate passed the measure 51–48 in mid-Jul. 2025 The close margin reflected narrow GOP control and some Republican defections.
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