Senate passes revised legislation, recovering billions in foreign assistance and public broadcasting funds

The Senate has taken a significant step in fiscal policy, passing the Rescission Act of 2025 (H.R. 4) in a 51-48 vote. The bill, which aims to slash waste, fraud, and abuse, has been met with both praise and criticism.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., argued on the Senate floor that the Rescission Act of 2025 is a small but important step toward fiscal sanity that is long overdue. Thune believes the bill will help curb unnecessary spending and promote accountability.

However, Senate Appropriations vice chair Patty Murray, D-Wash., warned her Republican colleagues that passing rescissions could undermine the bipartisan support required to approve annual government funding bills. Murray emphasized that bipartisanship does not end with any one line being crossed, and it erodes and breaks down bit by bit, until there is nothing left.

Despite Murray's concerns, the Senate made numerous changes to the bill before its passage. Notably, a $400 million cut to the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was removed from the Rescission Act of 2025.

Senate Democrats offered more than a dozen amendments to make further changes to the bill, but they were all rejected. Senate Republicans, led by Thune, maintained that the Rescission Act of 2025 is crucial for promoting fiscal responsibility.

The Rescission Act of 2025 targets funding for foreign assistance programs and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. One of the most significant cuts is a proposed $2.5 billion reduction to the Development Assistance account, which covers basic education, water and sanitation, and food security. However, the specific programs affected by these cuts are not yet known.

The House previously passed an earlier iteration of the Rescission Act of 2025 and is planning to take it up on Thursday. The House has until the end of day Friday to clear the bill, which would then head to the President's desk for signing.

Notably, Republican senators Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joined Democrats in opposition to the Rescission Act of 2025. Their reasons for voting against the bill are not yet clear, as no specific member of Congress who made a statement on Tuesday about the possible impact of the Rescission Act of 2025 on certain programmes is identified in the available search results.

As the Rescission Act of 2025 moves forward, it remains to be seen how it will impact government spending and the programmes it aims to cut. The debate over the bill is likely to continue in the coming days, with both sides presenting their arguments for and against the legislation.

Senate passes revised legislation, recovering billions in foreign assistance and public broadcasting funds