House Approves Trump’s $9 Billion Spending Cuts Under DOGE Initiative

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The House of Representatives has passed a $9 billion spending rollback targeting foreign aid and public broadcasting, delivering a legislative win for President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative. The bill, already cleared by the Senate, now awaits the President’s signature.

The Rescissions Act of 2025, which passed the House in a tight 216–213 vote, aims to trim federal expenditures by reversing unspent funds from prior budgets. Roughly $8 billion will be clawed back from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), while over $1 billion will be cut from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which funds National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

Republicans championed the cuts as a necessary correction to Washington’s unchecked spending. The measure aligns closely with President Trump’s call for leaner government and fiscal discipline under the DOGE framework. Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), praised the bill as a pivotal move to rein in wasteful programs and hinted at further rescission packages to come.

Although two Republicans broke ranks, the vote mostly followed party lines. House Democrats, while vocally opposing the cuts, opted against procedural delays. Notably, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries refrained from deploying extended floor speeches, despite previously using a nearly nine-hour address to block unrelated legislation.

Critics, particularly on the left, argue that the bill will jeopardize global health efforts and diminish access to media in rural America. A recent academic study suggested the USAID cuts could contribute to as many as 14 million additional deaths worldwide by 2030. Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota also expressed concern over the potential closure of tribal and community stations if CPB funding disappears.

Initial drafts of the bill had proposed slashing $400 million from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), but those reductions were dropped during Senate negotiations. Meanwhile, Democrats failed to attach an amendment requiring the release of records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A nonbinding resolution was adopted instead, calling for transparency without mandating it.

This marks President Trump’s second major legislative achievement in July, following the passage of a tax and immigration overhaul. With the fiscal year’s end approaching, the administration appears poised to press forward with further DOGE-backed budget reforms.