President Donald Trump’s fiscal hammer dropped hard Thursday. The Republican-led Senate, in a razor-thin 51-48 vote, passed a $9 billion spending cuts package, slicing into foreign aid and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS, as NBC News reports. This bold move signals a no-nonsense approach to curbing federal excess.
On July 17, Senate Republicans pushed through a package to rescind $9 billion in previously approved funds. The measure, driven by Trump’s call for fiscal restraint, targets foreign aid and public media, long criticized by conservatives as bloated and biased. It now heads back to the House for final approval before Friday’s midnight deadline.
The Senate vote wasn’t without drama. Two Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, broke ranks to join Democrats in opposing the bill. Their defection highlights the tightrope GOP leaders walk in keeping their coalition unified.
Republicans cleverly sidestepped the Senate’s 60-vote threshold. Using a rarely invoked process, they amended a prior bipartisan spending deal on party lines. This maneuver showcases the GOP’s determination to deliver on Trump’s agenda without compromise.
The vote capped a grueling 13-hour session of amendments. One key change spared $400 million for PEPFAR, the HIV/AIDS relief program, showing some GOP willingness to soften the cuts’ edges. Yet, the core mission -- slashing federal spending -- remained untouched.
Senate Democrats stood united in opposition. Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota missed the vote, sidelined by a hospital stay after feeling unwell. Her absence didn’t sway the outcome but underscored the contentious stakes.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican who led his party in the Senate for 18 years until January, played a curious role. He opposed the bill procedurally but backed sending it to the House. His flip-flop reflects the tension between old-guard caution and Trump’s aggressive fiscal push.
“I think $9 billion is a very small amount,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Fox News. He called it “one-tenth of 1%” of federal spending, framing it as a modest step toward fiscal sanity. Critics of bloated budgets cheer this logic, but progressives cry foul over cuts to their sacred cows.
Thune’s point cuts through the noise. While Democrats wail about lost funding, $9 billion is a drop in the federal bucket. It’s a symbolic win for conservatives tired of seeing tax dollars funneled to questionable priorities.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski took to X to defend NPR and PBS. “These are simply organizations dedicated to their communities,” she wrote, citing their role in Alaska’s earthquake response. Her romanticizing of public media ignores its left-leaning bent, which conservatives argue skews discourse.
Murkowski’s plea for local stations falls flat. Emergency alerts don’t justify NPR’s often one-sided reporting, which many see as a taxpayer-funded megaphone for progressive agendas. The cuts aim to level that playing field.
Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina voiced unease on the Senate floor. “I suspect we’re going to find out there are some things that we’re going to regret,” he said. His caution hints at potential blowback, but conservatives counter that fiscal discipline demands tough choices.
Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi raised a sharper critique. “It concerns me -- as perhaps approaching a disregard for the constitutional responsibilities of the legislative branch,” he said on the Senate floor. He fears the bill hands too much power to the White House’s budget office.
Wicker’s warning about Congress ceding control stings. Yet, with a looming budget crisis, as he noted, bold action trumps hand-wringing. The GOP’s move signals that fiscal hawks are done with business-as-usual spending.
The House, which passed the measure 214-212 last month, must now act swiftly. With Trump’s signature pending by Friday’s deadline, the cuts are close to becoming law. This victory for fiscal conservatives could reshape federal priorities, targeting programs long overdue for scrutiny.
