Senate Republicans Advance Trump’s Clawback Package
Early Thursday morning, Senate Republicans pushed through a multi-billion-dollar clawback package from President Donald Trump, overcoming both Democratic resistance and some internal GOP disagreements.
The $9 billion measure aims to revisit previously approved funding for NPR and PBS, essentially, as some lawmakers described it, “waking up” that spending again.
Republicans are framing this bill as part of a broader effort to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in federal spending. Senate Majority Leader John Thune from South Dakota emphasized that this mission aligns with both the GOP and Trump’s agenda. He pointed out that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has identified many cuts featured in the package.
“I appreciate the administration’s efforts in pinpointing wasteful expenses,” Thune stated. “It’s now the Senate’s responsibility to contribute to reducing budget waste. This is a modest but crucial step towards financial sanity, and it’s something we should all agree on.”
Notably, the rescue plan includes an $8 billion cut from the U.S. International Development Agency (USAID) and over $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which funds NPR and PBS.
Interestingly, this package seems to be just the first in a series of actions tied to the White House’s objectives.
In a shift from earlier votes, Vice President J.D. Vance, along with two Republicans—Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins from Maine—joined all Senate Democrats in opposing the bill during a previous procedural vote. Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Senator, had voted against advancing the package previously but ultimately endorsed it.
As Republicans look towards the House, they are urging against any changes to the package. However, following the can’t-miss strategies from earlier this month, House Speaker Mike Johnson seems unfazed by these warnings.
Senate leaders recently agreed to make provisions exempting funding for international HIV and AIDS prevention programs, which has adjusted the Senate GOP’s version of the bill by approximately $400 million.
There were also attempts to alter the bill during the marathon voting process, but none managed to break the 60-vote threshold needed in the Senate.
Senate Democrats attempted to challenge the bill with amendments that would have maintained emergency alerts for extreme weather situations. They argued that these cuts would harm rural Americans, creating “news deserts” that disperse crucial information.
Senator Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington, questioned, “Why are we even considering blocking emergency alerts? These stations have warned people countless times about life-threatening situations.”
Fellow Democrat Patty Murray, who serves on the Senate Budget Committee, contended that the implications of these spending cuts reach far beyond just financial numbers.
One Washington Democrat asserted that lawmakers are essentially voting to determine their financial decisions for the year, suggesting the real intent behind the votes is to gain more funding for favored initiatives.
Republican Senator Eric Schmidt from Missouri dismissed the Democrats’ critiques, arguing that the legislation is intended to “course-correct” unnecessary spending that should no longer be funded.
He shared with Fox News Digital that, in his view, Democrats aim to retain as many funds as they can for what he called their “pet projects.” He pointed to a past four years of such governance as evidence of a pattern.
Schmidt further highlighted the irony in supporting changes in other countries while opposing voter ID here in the U.S. He stated, “You know, they’re going to implement voter ID in other nations, but don’t stand by it at home.”
