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President Donald Trump’s proposed $9.4 billion spending cuts package has successfully passed a significant hurdle, paving the way for a final vote in the House of Representatives later this week. Introduced by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., this legislation aims to reduce funding by $8.3 billion for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and over $1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which allocates federal funds to NPR and PBS.
On Wednesday, the House conducted a "rule vote," a procedural motion that passed mainly along party lines. This approval allows for a full discussion of the spending cuts proposal before the final House-wide vote.
House Republicans Move Closer to Spending Cuts Vote
The rule vote’s passage sets the stage for the upcoming debate on the $9.4 billion spending cut measure. It’s common for House leaders to bundle unrelated provisions in rule votes, and this package includes minor adjustments to Trump’s original "big, beautiful bill" to align with Senate requirements for amendments. This broader legislation, which encompasses tax and immigration reforms, is currently navigating the budget reconciliation process.
By lowering the Senate’s advancement threshold from 60 votes to a simple majority of 51, the ruling party can bypass the minority—Democrats in this case—on significant legislative measures, as long as they comply with specific budgetary regulations. House GOP leaders have made recent modifications to ensure the bill aligns with the Senate’s "Byrd Bath," a review process where the Senate parliamentarian ensures compliance with reconciliation guidelines.
While the Byrd Bath concerns mandatory spending processes that are challenging to amend, the $9.4 billion spending cuts package specifically addresses discretionary spending that Congress reviews annually. This "rescissions package" is an official proposal from the White House to retract federal funds already designated for the current fiscal year. Similar to reconciliation, it allows passage with only a 51-vote majority in the Senate, and Congress has 45 days to review it, or it will be automatically rejected.
A Step Towards Reducing Government Waste
Republican leaders are promoting this rescissions package as the initial step toward addressing the substantial government waste identified by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Trump’s allies view this measure as a litmus test for the types of cuts that congressional Republicans can support.
However, despite the expectation that the rule vote would pass, the bill may face challenges ahead of its anticipated vote on Thursday. Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., highlighted in a bipartisan statement that the funding for media represents less than 0.01% of the federal budget, warning that cutting this funding would undermine a reliable information source for millions of Americans. Additionally, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., expressed that he received assurances that the cuts to USAID would not affect critical medical funding, although he did not confirm his support for the bill.
Stay Updated with Fox News
For ongoing coverage of this developing story, follow Elizabeth Elkind, a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, who is leading the coverage of the House of Representatives. Connect with her on Twitter @liz_elkind or send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com.
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