President Donald Trump’s bold push to trim federal spending just cleared a major hurdle. On Thursday, May 20, 2025, the House of Representatives narrowly passed a $9.4 billion rescissions package, slashing funds for foreign aid and public broadcasting. This victory, though tight, signals a renewed conservative drive to curb what many see as wasteful government programs.
The House vote, a squeaky 214-212, saw Trump’s plan to cut $8.3 billion from USAID and $1 billion from NPR and PBS funding scrape through. No Democrats backed the bill, and four Republicans—Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Mike Turner, Mark Amodei, and Nicole Malliotakis broke ranks, citing concerns over the cuts’ impact, reported Fox News. It’s a stark reminder that even GOP unity can wobble when the budget knife gets sharp.
Republican leaders didn’t coast to this win. Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Whip Tom Emmer were spotted in tense huddles with moderate holdouts during the vote. Their efforts flipped two initial “no” votes—Reps. Nick LaLota and Don Bacon secured the bill’s passage just when defeat seemed imminent.
The rescissions package, a rare tool letting the White House block already-approved funds, took aim at programs Republicans called out as frivolous. GOP leaders highlighted cuts to $1 million for voter ID in Haiti and $3 million for Iraqi Sesame Street as prime examples of misplaced priorities. To conservatives, these are poster children for a bloated, out-of-touch federal budget.
But not all Republicans were cheering. Some moderates worried aloud about slashing USAID’s disease prevention research in Africa, fearing long-term global health fallout. It’s a fair point—cutting too deep could cost more than it saves, especially when pandemics don’t respect borders.
Critics of the bill, particularly on the left, decried the $1 billion hit to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. They argued NPR and PBS cuts would gut small, rural news outlets in areas already starved for information. Sympathetic as that sounds, many conservatives counter that taxpayer dollars shouldn’t prop up media with a perceived liberal tilt.
Now, the bill heads to the Senate, where it faces a 45-day clock for approval. Requiring only a simple majority, it still faces a steep climb given the GOP’s razor-thin Senate edge. Every vote will count, and any senator’s hesitation could sink Trump’s plan faster than a bad sitcom.
The Senate’s tight math mirrors the House’s drama. With Republicans holding slim majorities in both chambers, this package tests whether the party can rally behind spending cuts as a unifying cause. If it falters, expect the “fiscally conservative” label to take a hit.
Trump’s team isn’t slowing down. Some see this as the first of several rescission packages, possibly tied to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The idea of Musk’s crew slashing red tape has MAGA voters buzzing, but turning tweets into policy is no small feat.
For now, the House vote is a win for Trump’s anti-woke agenda. It’s a signal to voters that the GOP is serious about reining in what they see as progressive overreach in federal spending. Still, the Senate’s response will show whether this is a genuine shift or just political theater.
Moderate Republicans’ concerns about African health research deserve a nod. Nobody wants to kneecap global disease prevention, but conservatives argue the U.S. can’t be the world’s ATM forever. Balancing compassion with fiscal discipline is the tightrope the GOP must walk.
The public broadcasting cuts stir a different debate. Critics claim rural communities will suffer without PBS and NPR, but conservatives ask why taxpayers should fund outlets they view as ideologically slanted. It’s a fair question, even if the answer isn’t black-and-white.
The bill’s fate now rests with a Senate that’s no stranger to gridlock. If it passes, it could embolden more aggressive cuts, with DOGE potentially leading the charge. Fail, and Trump’s momentum takes a dent just as his second term gains steam.
This rescissions package is more than a budget tweak—it’s a litmus test for Republican unity. The House’s narrow victory shows the party’s appetite for change, but also its fragility when moderates dig in. Unity isn’t a given, and that’s a lesson Trump’s team won’t soon forget.
Whether it’s a triumph for fiscal hawks or a misstep that alienates swing voters, the Senate’s vote will shape the narrative. For now, Trump’s plan lives to fight another day, but the battle’s far from won.
