US House plans quick action on Trump cuts to foreign aid spending
Source: Reuters
June 4, 2025 4:19 PM EDT Updated 11 hours ago
WASHINGTON, June 4 (Reuters) - Republican leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives said on Wednesday they would act quickly on President Donald Trump's request to slash $9.4 billion in spending on foreign aid and public broadcasting, hoping to file a bill as soon as Thursday.
"Yesterday the White House sent the rescissions package. It's the first, maybe, of many. We are now putting that in bill format. We'll file that bill, hopefully by tomorrow, and then bring it up to the floor quickly," Representative Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican, told a news conference.
Scalise spoke a day after Trump sent Congress his formal "rescissions" memo requesting the elimination of $9.4 billion in spending already approved by lawmakers, opening a 45-day window for lawmakers to decide whether to back Trump in overturning spending plans many of them voted for in the past. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Scalise and other Republican House leaders issued a statement encouraging House members to support the measure, saying it would eliminate wasteful spending.
Presidential rescissions packages have not passed in years, because previous Congresses have not wanted to give up their constitutionally mandated control of government spending. For example, lawmakers rejected Trump's request to revoke $15 billion in spending in 2018, during his first term. However, the current Republican leaders of the House and Senate have shown little appetite for opposing Trump, even those who in the past have been strong advocates for foreign aid.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-house-plans-quick-action-trump-cuts-foreign-aid-spending-2025-06-04/
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