President Trump needs Congress to fire on all cylinders. If they don’t, he may struggle to succeed in his second term.
But Congress just passed a critical bill that left Republicans jumping for joy.
House Passes $9 Billion Budget Trim, Targeting Foreign Aid and Public Media
On Thursday, House Republicans narrowly secured passage of a $9 billion budget rescission package, redirecting funds previously set aside for foreign aid and public broadcasters like NPR and PBS. The vote, which ended 216-213, saw GOP Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mike Turner of Ohio break ranks, joining all present Democrats in opposition.
The bill met a critical Friday deadline, stemming from a White House proposal in June to curb inefficient federal spending, as flagged by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The Senate had already cleared the measure in an early morning vote Thursday, despite pushback from Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), who aligned with all 46 present Democrats against it.
WATCH:
Last night, the House passed HRes590 (216-213) to codify the 1st round of @DOGE cuts.
✂️USAID–DEFUNDED
✂️@NPR–DEFUNDED
✂️@PBS–DEFUNDEDOur hard-earned taxpayer dollars NEVER should've been funding this egregious politicization.
HRes590 now heads to @POTUS's desk to BECOME LAW. pic.twitter.com/WD9uaFKfrs
— Congressman Byron Donalds (@RepDonaldsPress) July 18, 2025
Key Spending Cuts
The package reclaims roughly $8 billion originally allocated to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and over $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which PBS and NPR are funded by—long-standing targets for conservative budget hawks.
An earlier House version passed last month, but Senate debates stalled over specific cuts, leading the Trump administration to drop a planned $400 million cut to a global AIDS relief initiative.
Epstein Document Dispute
Separately, House Republicans on the Rules Committee rejected a Democratic push to add an amendment seeking the release of documents linked to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Instead, they advanced a nonbinding resolution endorsing the “public release of certain documents, records, and communications related to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) opted for a concise 15-minute speech against the bill, forgoing his ability to extend debate with the “magic minute” rule.
This stood in contrast to his earlier use of the tactic this month, when he delayed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for nearly nine hours, breaking a record previously set by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
Looking Ahead
With the House approving the Senate’s adjustments, the bill now heads to President Trump for signing. White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought is expected to propose further rescission packages in the coming months, hinting at more efforts to reshape federal spending.
Stay tuned to the Conservative Column.
