Senate Faces Showdown on Trump's $9 Billion Spending Cut Request
The U.S. Senate is set to vote on President Trump's request to cut billions in foreign aid and public broadcasting. The cuts originally targeted initiatives like PEPFAR, but have been trimmed to exclude it. Resistance from both parties highlights the challenge of overriding Congress’s budget authority.
The U.S. Senate gears up to vote on President Donald Trump's proposal to slash billions in previously approved foreign aid and public broadcasting funds. Initial concerns around cuts to PEPFAR, a global HIV/AIDS initiative, have seen the package reduced from $9.4 billion to $9 billion.
Senator John Thune, the Republican majority leader, expects procedural votes to commence on Tuesday. The Senate faces a deadline of Friday to decide on the proposed $8.3 billion in foreign aid cuts and $1.1 billion in public broadcasting reductions. Failure to act would see spending plans adhere to Congress's original budget.
Senators from both sides caution that slashing these funds could complicate future bipartisan spending negotiations. Critics argue the cuts undermine essential programs, with past similar proposals facing considerable opposition. Trump, however, threatens to pull support from any Congress member opposing the measure.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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