President Donald Trump achieved a long-sought conservative victory as the House passed a $9 billion rescissions package late Thursday in a narrow 216 to 213 vote. The bill slashes federal spending by cutting off taxpayer funding for left-leaning public broadcasting networks NPR and PBS, as well as foreign aid managed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Once signed into law by President Trump, the measure will mark the first successful rollback of already-appropriated congressional funds in decades.
The package delivers on a decades-old goal of fiscal conservatives to eliminate taxpayer subsidies for public broadcasting and foreign aid often directed toward politically controversial initiatives. The cuts apply to fiscal year 2024 levels and extend into 2025, effectively locking in reduced government spending even further.
President Trump celebrated the win on Truth Social, writing in all caps: “HOUSE APPROVES NINE BILLION DOLLAR CUTS PACKAGE, INCLUDING ATROCIOUS NPR AND PUBLIC BROADCASTING, WHERE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS A YEAR WERE WASTED.” He emphasized that Republicans have “TRIED DOING THIS FOR 40 YEARS, AND FAILED….BUT NO MORE. THIS IS BIG!!!”
Two House Republicans opposed the bill, including Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), a consistent critic of Trump, and Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), who has close ties to the intelligence community. Despite these defections, the House passed the bill using a procedural vote that also advanced unrelated legislation to the floor.
The rescission victory follows an earlier success in freezing spending at fiscal 2024 levels, a significant conservative goal in itself. While the $9 billion cut represents a fraction of total federal spending, it sets a precedent for future rescissions, signaling a new era of fiscal discipline under Trump’s leadership.
White House budget director Russ Vought indicated that the administration plans further cuts, stating that the budget process needs to be “less bipartisan” and more responsive to voters who support decisive fiscal action.
With a September 30 funding deadline looming, additional cuts may be on the way. If new rescissions are approved before then, they will lower the baseline for any continuing resolutions or future spending bills, potentially locking in even deeper spending reductions.
