House Republicans narrowly passed the rescission package President Donald Trump sent over last week to Congress in an effort to give an air of legitimacy to the Department of Government Efficiency’s rampage through the federal government.
Democratic leadership called out their Republican counterparts in a press conference ahead of the vote, criticizing House Republicans for getting in line behind the Trump administration’s constitutionally backwards effort to force the cuts down Congress’ throats.
The rescissions package includes a request for a total of $9.4 billion in cuts to federal funding, previously authorized by Congress — $8.3 billion in foreign aid and $1.1 billion from public broadcasting.
The public broadcasting part includes funds for supporting national programming for the National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). The majority of those programming funds are typically distributed to smaller, local public television and radio stations around the country that serve rural areas and do not have the same means to fundraise for themselves.
The rescission request also includes cuts to several accounts across the State Department, including $900 million for global health programs — $500 million for funds related to infectious diseases and child and maternal health and another $400 million to address the global HIV epidemic — and $800 million for migration and refugee assistance.
The relatively small rescissions package does not include the rest of the billions of dollars in congressionally approved federal funding that President Trump and his DOGE allies have already lawlessly frozen or clawed back since Trump took office, without permission.
Trump’s rescission package passed in the House in a largely party line 214-212 vote, with all Democrats and four Republicans — Reps. Mark Amodei (R-NV), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) and Mike Turner (R-OH) — voting to reject the measure.
The bill initially looked like it may fail as six Republicans voted “no.” But after an on the floor intervention from the House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) some changed their vote to “yes,” allowing the package to pass.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) warned of the dangers of cutting the funds included in the request ahead of the vote Thursday, saying it will “undermine America’s national security, hurt our ability to protect the American people in terms of their health, their safety and their well being.”
He also predicted the package’s inevitable passage, saying House Republicans, even those who have indicated they were not happy with parts of the package, will cave to the President.
“House Republicans aren’t interested in functioning like a separate and coequal branch of government and holding the Trump administration accountable for its extremism,” Jeffries said during his Thursday press conference. “House Republicans will continue to behave like nothing more than a reckless rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s extreme agenda.”
The package will now head to the Senate, where it will receive a separate floor vote. It will have to be approved by both chambers for the President’s request to be approved and for the cuts to go into effect.
Democrats need to go much, much further. We need to make it clear that anyone who enables this foul regime will suffer permanent consequences, whether they be legal jeopardy or professional sanctions like being disbarred. That’s what fight looks like. Make sure every one of these motherfuckers knows we will never forget and we will make it our life’s mission to destroy them. We need to start giving them something to worry about.
OT- some good news for once:
A judge released a Russian-born scientist and Harvard University researcher charged with smuggling frog embryos into the US on Thursday, freeing her on bail after a brief hearing.
Kseniia Petrova, 30, who was brought into court wearing an orange jumpsuit, had been in federal custody since February. She was seen walking out of the courthouse laughing and hugging supporters.
Lawyers on both sides came to an agreement on conditions for Petrova’s release, which included limiting her travel. Authorities are still holding on to her passport. Petrova must return to court next week for a probable cause hearing on the smuggling charge.
It’s not the Dems that are the cowards here, folks.
There were enough votes to stop the recissions package until Johnson and the goons took a couple of the no-Rethuglicans out to the woodshed and threatened to beat them senseless unless they changed their no votes to yes.
Those are the cowards. Let it not be forgotten.
Before we jump off the partisan cliff over the doge cuts we need look at each cut separately and to ask ourselve what they were about. They ight be fine. Many more might be damaging to the American people.
We should expect the Congress to do the looking. That is exactly where Congress has failed.