OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
12:13 PM – Friday, July 18, 2025
House Republicans finally approved the $9 billion rescissions package aimed at reversing previously authorized federal foreign aid expenditures, in addition to the publicly-funded left-leaning outlets NPR and PBS.
The procedural steps wrapped up late on Thursday night into the early morning of Friday.
The measure passed by a 216-213 vote, with Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Penn.) and Mike Turner (R-Ohio.) siding with all Democrats in opposition.
Facing a Friday deadline, the House moved to act on the proposal, which the White House had submitted to Congress in June as part of an initiative to formalize spending reductions recommended by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Earlier the same day, the Senate approved the bill, despite bipartisan resistance. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) joined all 46 present Democrats in voting against the measure.
The most recent House vote ratified changes made by the Senate to the rescissions measure, which now advances to President Trump’s desk for his signature.
The legislation reclaims around $8 billion allocated to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and at least $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which funds left-leaning outlets PBS and NPR—expenditures that conservatives have long targeted for reduction.
While House Republicans initially passed a version of the package early last month, the Senate deliberated for weeks, grappling with objections to several of the proposed cuts.
Ultimately, in order to somewhat satisfy its detractors, the Trump administration agreed to abandon its additional proposal to eliminate roughly $400 million from a federal program “dedicated to combating AIDS globally.”
“Yapping” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who under House rules could have delivered another extended floor speech opposing the measure, surprisingly chose instead to speak for just 15 minutes on Thursday night.
Earlier this month, Jeffries employed his so-called “magic minute” privilege to delay the passage of the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” Act for nearly nine hours—surpassing the previous record set by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought is anticipated to submit additional rescissions proposals to Congress in the months ahead.
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