U.S. President Donald J. Trump is expected to sign the Rescissions Act of 2025, approving $9 billion in cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting.
In a narrow but consequential vote early Friday morning, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a controversial rescissions package that will claw back billions in federal spending, including substantial cuts to international aid programs and public broadcasting. The bill passed by a 216–213 margin, with all but two Republicans voting in favor and all Democrats opposed.
The legislation, which follows Senate passage earlier this week, now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature. It is expected to be signed into law promptly, marking a major victory for the administration’s push to rein in what it calls “wasteful government spending.”
The measure, formally titled the Rescissions Act of 2025, directs a total of $9 billion in budget rollbacks. About $8 billion will be drawn from foreign assistance programs administered by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), while another $1 billion will be taken from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps fund NPR, PBS, and more than 1,500 local affiliate stations across the country. WTJX is expected to lose $1.3 million, with CEO Tanya Marie-Singh described the cut as having "a catastrophic effect on public media nationwide."
Supporters of the bill argue that the cuts are long overdue and reflect a refocusing of federal resources on domestic priorities. “We have to make hard decisions to restore fiscal sanity,” said House Appropriations Chair Mark Harris (R-TX). “Foreign governments and elite media corporations should not be guaranteed perpetual funding from the American taxpayer.”
Democrats pushed back strongly, warning that the cuts would harm U.S. strategic interests abroad and gut access to educational and cultural programming at home. “This bill weakens our global leadership and undercuts rural and underserved communities that rely on public media,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), ranking member of the Appropriations Committee.
The Senate approved the bill on Wednesday in a 51–48 vote after removing a provision that would have slashed $400 million from PEPFAR, the long-standing global AIDS relief program. The change was a concession to bipartisan concerns that targeting PEPFAR could lead to increased HIV/AIDS infections in Africa and weaken public health diplomacy.
Despite the amendment, the core of the bill remained intact, reflecting a broader Republican strategy to reverse spending increases enacted during previous administrations. In recent weeks, lawmakers aligned with the House Freedom Caucus had made clear they would not approve future budget deals without “meaningful cuts” to discretionary spending, including international aid and non-commercial media.
“This isn’t about ideology—it’s about accountability,” said Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), a vocal proponent of the cuts. “We can’t keep borrowing money to fund programs that don’t serve the interests of hardworking Americans.”
Public media executives and global aid advocates have voiced alarm over the bill’s implications. Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, called the move “deeply short-sighted,” saying the cuts “jeopardize vital services from children’s programming to emergency communications in remote areas.”
At USAID, officials say the rollback will stall or terminate dozens of humanitarian projects, including food security programs in Sub-Saharan Africa, disaster response operations in Southeast Asia, and development initiatives in fragile states.
The bill also directs the Office of Management and Budget to cancel unobligated balances from dozens of foreign assistance accounts, a move some legal experts say could lead to lawsuits from contractors and NGOs whose projects are already underway.
Critics contend the measure is driven more by political posturing than genuine fiscal discipline. “Cutting off public broadcasting and gutting USAID won’t balance the budget,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), House Minority Leader. “It will only diminish our voice on the world stage and our shared cultural life at home.”
As the legislation moves toward implementation, its effects are expected to be felt quickly—particularly in the public media space, where many local stations operate on thin margins and rely heavily on federal funding. Advocacy groups have already launched campaigns urging state legislatures and private donors to step in where federal dollars will soon vanish.
Meanwhile, the White House has praised the bill as a “decisive correction to years of unchecked spending.” In a statement late Thursday, Press Secretary Karen Mahoney said President Trump “applauds Congress for passing this essential legislation and restoring accountability to our budget process.”
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