Senate Slashes $9 Billion in Wasteful Spending, Targeting Foreign Aid and Public Broadcasting in Trump-Backed Rescissions Bill
by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – In a major conservative victory for fiscal responsibility, the U.S. Senate passed a $9 billion rescissions package early Thursday morning, aimed at cutting waste, fraud, and partisan excess from federal spending. The bill, endorsed by President Donald Trump and crafted by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), claws back billions in taxpayer funds from controversial foreign-aid initiatives and public broadcasting outlets long criticized for their liberal bias.
The bill passed 51-48 after an all-night voting session, with Vice President JD Vance breaking an earlier tie. Only two Republicans–Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)–voted with Democrats to oppose the measure. It now heads back to the House, where lawmakers must vote by Friday to finalize the rescissions before the White House is forced to release the funds.
The package rescinds $7.9 billion from foreign-aid programs and $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), effectively defunding National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) for the next two fiscal years.
“This is not a budget gimmick–it’s a decisive strike against entrenched bureaucracy and partisan media propped up by taxpayers,” said Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), who led negotiations on the bill. “We are ending the gravy train for radical NGOs abroad and left-wing propaganda machines at home.”
Republicans have long argued that American tax dollars should not bankroll biased public broadcasters or globalist aid programs that lack transparency, measurable results, or alignment with national interests. President Trump recently referred to the CPB as a “monstrosity,” vowing to withhold endorsements from any Republican senator who failed to back the cuts.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes funding to NPR and PBS, has drawn fire for editorial slants and programming that critics say lean leftward while alienating rural and conservative audiences. That sentiment was echoed by Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX), who said, “We’re not cutting services–we’re cutting waste. American families shouldn’t be forced to subsidize institutions hostile to their values.”
Democrats attempted to restore funding for pet projects like UNICEF, global gender initiatives, and rural affiliates of NPR, but all proposed amendments were defeated. Only one revision passed–restoring $400 million in funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)–to secure crucial votes from Senate holdouts.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) defended the package as “a small but vital step toward fiscal sanity,” noting the United States is over $36 trillion in debt. “Even 1/10th of 1% matters when it means ending taxpayer subsidies to left-wing institutions and redirecting funds to true national priorities,” Thune said.
Not all Republicans were fully comfortable. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) raised concerns about tribal radio stations and negotiated a reallocation of $9.4 million from Biden-era climate programs to support Native broadcasting services. Still, he voted yes after assurances from the White House.
The package codifies part of the $190 billion in inefficiencies identified by DOGE, a Trump-era initiative revived during his second term. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said the administration is already preparing additional rescissions targeting more “deeply embedded bureaucratic waste.”
In contrast, Democrats cried foul. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) claimed the cuts would “gut rural communications infrastructure” and accused Republicans of “dismantling democracy to fund billionaire tax breaks”–a claim conservatives dismissed as hyperbole and deflection.
“This isn’t about billionaires; it’s about accountability,” said Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN). “We’ve tolerated bloated foreign programs and left-wing propaganda outlets for too long. It’s time to put the American taxpayer first.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has indicated strong support for final passage, urging the Senate earlier this week to “pass the bill as is” to stay on deadline and “set the stage for more.”
With the Senate clearing one of the largest rescissions in U.S. history under the Impoundment Control Act, Republicans are poised to introduce a second wave of spending cuts aimed at further dismantling taxpayer-funded waste and globalist overreach.
“This is just the beginning,” Vought said. “President Trump is restoring the power of the purse to the people–not to bureaucrats in D.C. or international NGOs with woke agendas.”
Highlights:
- $7.9 billion in cuts to foreign aid, including Biden-era “social equity” projects.
- $1.1 billion defunded from NPR and PBS via CPB.
- Only two Republicans voted against the bill.
- VP JD Vance cast tie-breaking procedural vote.
More rescissions expected as part of broader anti-waste initiative.
The House is expected to take up the final vote Thursday evening. If passed, President Trump is expected to sign it immediately.
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