The United States Senate voted early Thursday to approve a controversial $9 billion spending cuts package proposed by President Donald Trump, slashing foreign aid and public broadcasting funding in a move that sets up a tight deadline for final congressional approval.
The Republican-led Senate passed the measure 51-48 after a marathon session extending past midnight, marking the first legislative test of cost-cutting measures championed by Elon Musk’s now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency. The package cancels $8 billion in foreign aid—including funds for USAID—and $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which supports NPR, PBS, and over 1,500 local stations.
The House had initially proposed eliminating $400 million for health programs like PEPFAR (the global AIDS relief initiative credited with saving 26 million lives), but moderate Republicans forced its removal.
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, while supporting the bill, expressed reservations: “I’ve been a big fan of the foreign aid accounts… I’m a big hawkish guy, but you need foreign aid. You need soft power. But when you start spending money on a bunch of junk, and liberal programs disconnected from the purpose of the aid package, it makes it difficult on a guy like me.”
The rare “rescissions package” – which claws back already-allocated funds – now returns to the House for final passage by Friday to avoid automatic spending. The White House had pressured reluctant Republicans, with Trump threatening to withhold endorsements from dissenters.
The cuts reflect Musk’s DOGE blueprint before his May departure amid clashes with Trump over fiscal policy. While DOGE claimed $190 billion in savings, fact-checkers dispute the figure. Conservatives have long targeted CPB-funded media for alleged bias, with Trump signing an executive order in May to defund NPR and PBS.
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker condemned the measure: “It is yet another example of the spirit and ideals of our Constitution being undermined in a terrible way… This is a bunch of my colleagues in thrall of the president, surrendering the powers of us, and the urgency for us to work together… to improve budgets.”
Democrats argue the cuts disproportionately harm humanitarian programs and trusted news sources while doing little to address deficits. The vote signals Republican plans to advance more DOGE-inspired spending reductions despite internal divisions over foreign aid’s strategic value.