House approves Trump's request to cut funding for NPR, PBS and foreign
aid
[June 13, 2025]
By KEVIN FREKING
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House narrowly voted Thursday to cut about $9.4
billion in spending already approved by Congress as President Donald
Trump's administration looks to follow through on work done by the
Department of Government Efficiency when it was overseen by Elon Musk.
The package targets foreign aid programs and the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting, which provides money for National Public Radio and the
Public Broadcasting Service as well as thousands of public radio and
television stations around the country. The vote was 214-212.
Republicans are characterizing the spending as wasteful and unnecessary,
but Democrats say the rescissions are hurting the United States'
standing in the world and will lead to needless deaths.
“Cruelty is the point,” Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York
said of the proposed spending cuts.
The Trump administration is employing a tool rarely used in recent years
that allows the president to transmit a request to Congress to cancel
previously appropriated funds. That triggers a 45-day clock in which the
funds are frozen pending congressional action. If Congress fails to act
within that period, then the spending stands.
"Under President Trump's leadership, your taxpayer dollars are no longer
being wasted," House Speaker Mike Johnson said after the vote. “Instead,
they are being directed toward priorities that truly benefit the
American people.”
The benefit for the administration of a formal rescissions request is
that passage requires only a simple majority in the 100-member Senate
instead of the 60 votes usually required to get spending bills through
that chamber. So if they stay largely united, Republicans will be able
to pass the measure without any Democratic votes.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the Senate would likely
not take the bill up until July and after it has dealt with Trump's big
tax and immigration bill. He also said it's possible the Senate could
tweak the bill.
The administration is likening the first rescissions package to a test
case and says more could be on the way if Congress goes along.
Republicans, sensitive to concerns that Trump's sweeping tax and
immigration bill would increase future federal deficits, are anxious to
demonstrate spending discipline, though the cuts in the package amount
to just a sliver of the spending approved by Congress each year. They
are betting the cuts prove popular with constituents who align with
Trump's “America first” ideology as well as those who view NPR and PBS
as having a liberal bias.
Four Republicans voted against the measure — Reps. Mark Amodei of
Nevada, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Nicole Malliotakis of New
York and Mike Turner of Ohio. No Democrats voted for the measure.
The bill looked like it was in danger of going down, but two lawmakers —
Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska and Nick LaLota of New York — changed their
votes to yes, allowing it to advance to the Senate.
LaLota had an extensive conversation with Johnson on the House floor as
Johnson could be seen trying to win him over. Afterward, LaLota called
it “private discussions” to make sure “my constituents will get what
they need.”
Bacon said he was reassured by House Republican leadership that PBS
would receiving funding for next year. He said he was also told that
funding for the U.S.-led global response to HIV, known as PEPFAR, will
not be affected.
“Because of these reassurances, I voted yes on H.R. 4," Bacon said.
In all, the package contains 21 proposed rescissions. Approval would
claw back about $900 million from $10 billion that Congress has approved
for global health programs. That includes canceling $500 million for
activities related to infectious diseases and child and maternal health
and another $400 million to address the global HIV epidemic.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., departs after President Donald
Trump signed a bill blocking California's rule banning the sale of
new gas-powered cars by 2035, at an event in the East Room of the
White House, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex
Brandon)
The Trump administration is also looking to cancel $800 million, or
a quarter of the amount Congress approved, for a program that
provides emergency shelter, water and sanitation, and family
reunification for those forced to flee their own country.
About 45% of the savings sought by the White House would come from
two programs designed to boost the economies, democratic
institutions and civil societies in developing countries.
Democratic leadership, in urging their caucus to vote no, said that
package would eliminate access to clean water for more than 3.6
million people and lead to millions more not having access to a
school.
“Those Democrats saying that these rescissions will harm people in
other countries are missing the point,” said Rep. Lisa McClain,
House Republican Conference chair. “It’s about people in our country
being put first.”
The Republican president asked lawmakers to rescind nearly $1.1
billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which
represents the full amount it’s slated to receive during the next
two budget years. About two-thirds of the money gets distributed to
more than 1,500 locally owned public radio and television stations.
Nearly half of those stations serve rural areas of the country.
“Cutting off federal funding to public media will not only damage
local stations, it will be disruptive for millions of Americans who
rely on it for news and information that helps them make decisions
about their lives and participate in their communities," said
Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting.
Several advocacy groups that serve the world's poorest people had
urged lawmakers to vote no.
“We are already seeing women, children and families left without
food, clean water and critical services after earlier aid cuts, and
aid organizations can barely keep up with rising needs,” said Abby
Maxman, president and CEO of Oxfam America, a poverty-fighting
organization.
Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said the foreign aid is a tool that
prevents conflict and promotes stability, but the measure before the
House takes that tool away.
“This bill is good for Russia and China and undertakers,” said Rep.
Steve Cohen, D-Tenn.
Republicans disparaged the foreign aid spending and sought to link
it to programs they said DOGE had uncovered.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said taxpayer dollars had gone to such
things as targeting climate change, promoting pottery classes and
strengthening diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Other
Republicans cited similar examples they said DOGE had revealed.
“Yet, my friends on the other side of the aisle would like you to
believe, seriously, that if you don't use your taxpayer dollars to
fund this absurd list of projects and thousands of others I didn't
even list, that somehow people will die and our global standing in
the world will crumble,” Roy said. "Well, let's just reject this
now.”
—-
Associated Press writers Leah Askarinam and Matt Brown contributed
to this report.
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