Trump's Modest Spending Cuts Package Survives Narrow Senate Vote As Some Republicans Break Ranks

What tin you get for $9.4 billion?

3G Capital precocious purchased footwear elephantine Skechers for $9.4 billion. 

$9.4 cardinal could screen your rent for a beautiful bully flat successful New York City for much than 40,000 years. 

Yes, it will conscionable beryllium you and nan cockroaches by then. 

Or, you could salary nan costs of each awesome disaster successful nan past 4 decades – ranging from Chernobyl to Fukushima to Hurricane Sandy. 

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But $9.4 cardinal isn’t a batch erstwhile formed against astir $7 trillion successful yearly spending by nan national government. 

And it’s really not overmuch money erstwhile you see that nan U.S. is astir gaffe into nan reddish to nan tune of $37 trillion. 

Which brings america to nan Congressional scheme to cancel spending. That is, a measurement from Republicans and nan Trump Administration to rescind spending lawmakers already appropriated successful March. The House and Senate are now clawing backmost money lawmakers shoved retired nan doorway for nan Corporation for Public Broadcasting and overseas assistance programs nether USAID. The original connection trim $9.4 billion. But that fig dwindled to $9 cardinal – aft nan Senate restored money for "PEPFAR," a President George W. Bush era programme to combat AIDS worldwide. 

In different words, you whitethorn person a mates 1000 years lopped disconnected from your rent-controlled flat successful New York City. Of people that hinges connected what Democratic mayoral nominee Zorhan Mamdani decides to do, should he triumph predetermination this fall. 

Anyway, backmost to Congressional spending. Or "un-spending." 

The House passed nan original type of nan measure successful June, 216-214. Flip 1 ballot and nan measure would person grounded connected a 215-215 tie. Then it was connected to nan Senate. Republicans had to summon Vice President Vance to Capitol Hill to break a logjam connected 2 procedural votes to nonstop nan spending cancellation measure to nan level and really motorboat debate. Republicans person a 53-47 advantage successful nan Senate. But erstwhile Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on pinch Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska and Susan Collins, R-Maine, voted nay – producing a 50-50 tie.

Fox is told immoderate Senate Republicans are tiring of McConnell opposing nan GOP – and President Trump – connected various issues. That includes nan nay votes to commencement statement connected nan spending cancellation measure arsenic good arsenic his ballot against nan confirmation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth successful January.

"He utilized to beryllium nan Leader. He was ever telling america we request to instrumentality together," said 1 GOP legislator who requested anonymity. "Now he’s disconnected voting nevertheless he wants? How clip flies."

Note that McConnell led Senate Republicans arsenic precocious arsenic early January.

But McConnell yet voted for nan authorities erstwhile nan Senate approved it 51-48 astatine 2:28 americium ET Thursday morning. 

Murkowski and Collins were nan only noes. The services of Vice President Vance weren’t needed owed to McConnell’s aye ballot and nan absence of Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn. She fell sick and was admitted to George Washington Hospital for exhaustion. 

As for nan elder legislator from Alaska, 1 GOP legislator characterized it arsenic "Murkowski fatigue."

"She ever asking. She’s ever wanting more," groused a Senate Republican.

Murkowski secured an statement connected agrarian hospitals successful speech for her ballot successful favour of nan Big, Beautiful Bill earlier this month. However, Murkowski did not unafraid much specificity connected nan DOGE cuts aliases thief pinch rural, nationalist power stations successful Alaska connected nan spending trim plan.

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"My ballot is guided by nan imperative of coming from Alaskans. I person a ballot that I americium free to cast, pinch aliases without nan support of nan President. My responsibility is to my constituents and to nan Constitution," said Murkowski. "I don't disagree that NPR complete nan years has tilted much partisan. That tin beryllium addressed. But you don't request to gut nan full Corporation for Public Broadcasting." 

In a statement, Collins blasted nan Trump administration for a deficiency of specificity astir nan precision of nan rescissions request. Collins, who chairs nan Senate Appropriations Committee successful complaint of nan national purse strings, besides criticized nan management a fewer months agone for a paucity of item successful nan President’s budget. 

"The rescissions package has a large problem – cipher really knows what program reductions are successful it.  That isn’t because we haven’t had clip to reappraisal nan bill," said Collins successful a statement. "Instead, nan problem is that OMB (the Office of Management and Budget) has ne'er provided nan specifications that would usually beryllium portion of this process."

Collins wasn’t nan only Republican legislator who worried astir really nan management presented nan spending trim package to Congress. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss.,  fretted astir Congress ceding nan powerfulness of nan purse to nan administration. But dissimilar Collins, Wicker supported nan package.

Director of nan US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Russell (Russ) Vought speaks to reporters extracurricular nan West Wing of nan White House connected July 17, 2025, successful Washington, DC. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS)

"If we do this again, please springiness america circumstantial accusation astir wherever nan cuts will come. Let's not make a wont of this," said Wicker. "If you travel backmost to america again from nan executive branch, springiness america nan circumstantial amounts successful nan circumstantial programs that will beryllium cut."

DOGE recommended nan cuts. In fact, astir of nan spending reductions targeted by DOGE don’t spell into effect unless Congress acts. But moreover nan $9.4 cardinal proved challenging to cut. 

"We should beryllium capable to do that successful our sleep. But location is looking for illustration there's capable opposition," said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., connected Fox Business.

So to tribunal votes, GOP leaders salvaged $400 cardinal for PEPFAR.

"There was a batch of liking among our members successful doing thing connected nan PEPFAR issue," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. "You're still talking astir a $9 cardinal rescissions package - moreover pinch that mini modification."

The purpose to soundlessness nationalist broadcasting buoyed immoderate Republicans.

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"North Dakota Public Radio - astir 26% of their fund is national funding. To me, that's much of an indictment than it is simply a need," said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. 

But backmost to nan $9 billion. It’s a fraction of one-tenth of 1 percent of each national funding. And DOGE recommended much than a trillion dollars successful cuts.

"What does this opportunity for nan statement if it can't moreover walk this bill, this piddling magnitude of money?" yours genuinely asked Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, arrives to speak to members of nan media astatine nan US Capitol successful Washington, DC, US, connected Thursday, July 17, 2025. Republicans are group to win successful their decades-long quest to extremity national backing for nationalist broadcasting aft nan Senate passed a $9 cardinal package of cuts derived from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency effort. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"I deliberation we're going to suffer a batch of credibility. And we should," replied Kennedy.

But the House needed to sync up pinch nan Senate since it changed nan measure – stripping nan trim for AIDS funding. House conservatives weren’t pleased that nan Senate was jamming them again – conscionable 2 weeks aft awesome renovations to nan House type of nan Big, Beautiful Bill. But they accepted their fate.

"It’s disappointing that we're $37 trillion successful debt. This to maine was low-hanging fruit," said Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo. "At nan extremity of nan day, I'll return a guidelines hit, right? It's amended than nothing."

White House Budget Director Russ Vought is expected to nonstop different spending cancellation requests to Congress successful nan coming months. The purpose is to target deeper spending reductions recommended by DOGE. 

But it doesn’t auger good for early rescissions bills if it’s this overmuch of a conflict to trim $9 trillion.

What tin you get for that overmuch money? For Republicans, it’s not much. 

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Republicans were swinging for nan fences pinch spending cuts.

But successful nan governmental container score, this is recorded arsenic conscionable a guidelines hit.