Rescissions Act of 2025

Rescissions Act of 2025
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleTo rescind certain budget authority proposed to be rescinded in special messages transmitted to the Congress by the President on June 3, 2025, in accordance with section 1012(a) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974.
Announced inthe 119th United States Congress
Legislative history

The Rescissions Act of 2025 is a rescission bill in the 119th United States Congress. The bill cuts $7.9 billion in funding from international assistance programs and $1.1 billion in funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Despite opposition from moderate Republicans, the act passed the Republican-led House on June 12, 2025. An amended version passed the Republican-led Senate on July 17, 2025, and was agreed to in the House on the next day. President Trump signed the bill into law on July 24, 2025.[1]

Overview

A rescission bill rescinds funding that was previously passed in an appropriations bill. As is procedure, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, submitted the bill to Congress. Rescission bills cannot be fillibustered in the Senate.

The original House version of the bill included $9.4 billion in funding cuts. Specifically, $8.3 billion will be cut from international assistance programs, mostly from the United States Agency for International Development. The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) will also see funding cuts. Additionally, $1.1 billion will be cut from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting provides funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).[2]

The Senate amended the bill to remove $400 million in cuts to PEFPAR, place exemptions on funding cuts for programs that treat and prevent HIV/AIDS, malaria, or tuberculosis, along with programs that support nutrition or maternal and child health, protect foreign aid for Jordan, Egypt and aid to a fund that works to counter influence from the Chinese, and exempt funding cuts for programs that pay U.S. farmers to produce food that is distributed in poor countries.[3]

Votes

First passage in the House

The bill passed the United States House of Representatives on June 12, 2025 in a 214–212 vote. All present Republicans except Mark Amodei of Nevada, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Nicole Malliotakis of New York and Mike Turner of Ohio, all moderate Republicans, voted for the bill.[4] Two other moderate Republicans, Nick LaLota of New York and Don Bacon of Nebraska, initially voted no but changed their votes. Bacon said he changed his vote after receiving assurances from House Republican leadership that PBS would be fully funded next year and that global aid cuts would not affect funding for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.[5]

All present Democrats voted against the bill. Two Republicans and four Democrats did not vote. If all absent members had voted with the majority of their party, the bill would have failed.[6]

Passage in the Senate

In the early morning of July 17, 2025, the United States Senate passed an amended version of the act in a 51–48 vote. Moderate Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted against the bill with all present Democrats. Senator Tina Smith, a Democrat, missed the vote after being hospitalized.[7]

Second passage in the House

The House had to vote to pass the amended act by Friday, July 18, or the bill would have become invalid.[7] Just after midnight on July 18, the House passed the act through a procedural rule, which also teed up an unrelated vote on Department of Defense funding. Moderate Republicans Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mike Turner of Ohio joined all present Democrats in voting against the rule.[8]

Impact

On August 1, 2025, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced it would shut down in January 2026.[9]

References

  1. ^ "H.R. 4 and H.R. 517 Signed into Law S. 1582". The White House. 2025-07-24. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
  2. ^ Hubbard, Kaia; Yilek, Caitlin (June 12, 2025). "House passes rescission package to claw back $9.4 billion in funding for foreign aid, NPR, PBS". CBS News. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  3. ^ Michael Newhouse, Sean (July 16, 2025). "Bill to rescind billions in government funding being amended by the Senate". Government Executive. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  4. ^ Tully-McManus, Katherine; Scholtes, Jennifer (June 12, 2025). "House clears $9.4B in funding clawbacks requested by White House". Politico. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  5. ^ Freking, Kevin (June 12, 2025). "House approves Trump's request to cut funding for NPR, PBS and foreign aid". The Associated Press. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  6. ^ Oswald, Rachel (June 12, 2025). "First GOP rescissions package narrowly passes the House". Roll Call. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Yilek, Caitlin (July 17, 2025). "Senate approves $9 billion in cuts to foreign aid, public broadcasting funding". CBS News. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  8. ^ "Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives". July 18, 2025. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
  9. ^ Mullin, Benjamin (August 1, 2025). "Corporation for Public Broadcasting Will Shut Down". The New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
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