House of Representatives Passes $9.4 Billion in Spending Cuts Amidst Republican Infighting
The US House of Representatives has narrowly passed a package of spending cuts, amounting to $9.4 billion, amidst intense negotiations and lobbying from various interest groups. According to a report by CNN, the vote was on the verge of defeat before Speaker Mike Johnson intervened, securing a change in vote from Representative Nick LaLota, a New York centrist.
The spending cuts package, championed by President Donald Trump, aims to claw back federal dollars that Congress has already approved, using a rarely utilised tool known as "rescissions." The package, which includes cuts to foreign aid and public radio and broadcasting, was not an easy one for many centrist Republicans, who would like to keep programs such as PBS and the Bush-era program to fight global AIDS.
As reported by CNN, LaLota initially voted no but changed his vote after a conversation with Johnson, suggesting that the discussion had something to do with his push for state and local tax breaks, an issue that could threaten Trump’s agenda in the Senate. LaLota told CNN that he had "some conversations with the speaker that raised my level of confidence that will put this and future issues in the right trajectory," although he declined to offer specifics.
The politics of the local tax issue are complex, with the issue affecting a small number of House GOP seats in purple districts. However, it is expected to be a major sticking point in the final details of Trump’s tax and spending bill. Two measures are separate but both require immense political capital from Johnson and Trump to succeed.
The spending cuts package will now go to the Senate, where just 51 Republicans need to agree, instead of the usual 60 votes needed to end debate. However, multiple GOP senators, including Senator Susan Collins, who leads the Senate Appropriations panel, have raised concerns about the cuts. Collins told CNN this week that she is trying to make changes to the measure.
Public media networks, including PBS and NPR, which stand to lose federal dollars from the House-passed bill, are now setting their hopes on the Senate. Both networks said in statements that they will lobby senators to reject the spending cut proposal promoted by President Trump, which cuts $1.1 billion in future funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
In a statement, PBS CEO Paula Kerger said, "The fight to protect public media does not end with this vote, and we will continue to make the case for our essential service in the days and weeks to come." After the vote, PBS immediately revised its website’s call to action about the funding threat to say, "Contact your senators now."
The vote has also raised concerns among some conservatives, with Representative Chip Roy of Texas posting to X, "Real question on the $9B rescissions package that narrowly passed – is how expensive were the 2 original no votes who flipped to yes…?" CNN reports that four Republicans ultimately voted against the bill, while two more, LaLota and Nebraska Representative Don Bacon, had initially voted no but then changed their vote in the final moments.
The White House’s spending cuts ran into fierce resistance among some centrist Hill Republicans, who do support some federal dollars going to programs like PBS. Others disliked Trump’s plans to cut funds to fight global AIDS through the Bush-era program PEPFAR.
As reported by CNN, Johnson has said he expects additional requests from the White House in the future. The request will now go to the Senate, where it will face intense scrutiny and potentially significant changes.
Source: CNN
Contributors: CNN‘s Brian Stelter and Liam Reilly contributed to this report.
