The Senate began a series of votes on Wednesday in response to President Trump’s request to cut $9 billion in spending by the end of the week. The request narrowly passed in the Senate on Tuesday, with Vice President JD Vance casting tie-breaking votes. The House had previously approved a similar request, but it faced resistance in the Senate from Republicans who opposed cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting funding. Both chambers must approve the request before the deadline, or the funds will be spent as originally intended. The Senate’s consideration of amendments means the House will also need to approve the final version. The request targets $8 billion in foreign assistance programs, including USAID, and $1 billion in cuts to public broadcasting, which supports stations like NPR and PBS. Senate Republicans met with Mr. Trump’s budget director to address concerns, including a substitute amendment to address a $400 million cut to an AIDS prevention program. While some senators expressed reservations about the lack of details in the request and the impact of the cuts, others emphasized the need to exercise budget oversight and ensure funding for critical services, such as local radio and television stations in rural areas.
“Expect there to be consequences,” he said during his address in the Senate on Wednesday. “I anticipate that there will be repercussions that we will regret, and when that time comes, we will need to address and rectify the situation, much like my current efforts to amend the legislation I opposed recently – the touted grandiose bill that I believe requires further attention.”Reaction of man whose father was forcefully apprehended by ICE upon his releaseMike Johnson distances himself from Trump, urges DOJ to disclose Epstein documentsExplanation of how rescission requests are processed in Congress
