The U.S. House of Representatives has approved President Donald Trump’s proposal to cut $9 billion from public broadcasting and foreign aid programs. The legislation passed narrowly with a 216-213 vote and now awaits the President’s signature. This marks the first time in decades that a president has successfully submitted such a rescission request to Congress.
The approved package includes a $1.1 billion reduction for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) over the next two budget years and nearly $8 billion in cuts to various foreign aid programs. The CPB funding cut is expected to significantly impact over 1,500 local public television and radio stations, many of which serve rural communities. Democrats have expressed concern that these cuts will harm national security and reduce rural access to emergency public broadcasting.
The foreign aid reductions encompass $800 million for refugee support, $496 million for disaster relief, and $4.15 billion for economic and democratic development in developing nations. Critics argue that these cuts could diminish America’s global influence and create a vacuum for countries like China to fill.
The Senate approved the bill with a 51-48 vote, with two Republican senators opposing the cuts over concerns about legislative power being ceded to the executive branch. The House vote was delayed due to demands for transparency regarding Jeffrey Epstein, addressed by a symbolic resolution urging public release of related documents.
Republicans frame the measure as a step toward reducing government waste, while Democrats warn it could harm national security and reduce rural access to emergency public broadcasting. The White House has indicated that more such rescission requests are forthcoming, despite existing blocks on over $425 billion in congressional spending since President Trump’s second term began.
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