The U.S. Senate has passed a controversial bill approving President Donald Trump’s request to cancel $9.4 billion in previously approved federal spending, including allocations for foreign aid and the country’s public broadcasters—National Public Radio, NPR and the Public Broadcasting Service, PBS.
In a narrow 51–48 vote late Wednesday, the Senate endorsed the White House proposal, moving the bill to the House of Representatives, where a final decision is expected by July 18. If passed by the House, the bill will be sent to President Trump for his signature to become law.
The move comes weeks after House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that the White House had formally submitted a rescission request, describing the $9.4 billion as “wasteful.”
The Department of Government Efficiency, a Trump-era agency established during his first term, classified the earmarked foreign aid and media funding as non-essential and fiscally irresponsible.
This latest decision reflects a broader Trump administration policy shift to limit U.S. involvement in global development funding and reduces support for publicly funded media outlets accused by conservatives of bias.
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As part of the same initiative, President Trump in early May signed an executive order terminating government funding for NPR and PBS, accusing both organizations of “consistent left-leaning bias and misrepresentation of facts.”
The executive order effectively halted grant disbursements to the two broadcasters from multiple federal agencies.
Unsurprisingly, the move sparked legal backlash. On May 27, NPR, in conjunction with several public radio stations in Colorado, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that the defunding order constituted an infringement on press freedom.
The lawsuit argues that the move is politically motivated and part of a broader campaign to suppress dissenting media voices.
Critics of the funding cut argue that such drastic financial withdrawals from foreign assistance programs could significantly weaken the United States’ influence in developing regions and undercut humanitarian missions.
Democratic lawmakers, human rights organizations, and foreign policy analysts say the U.S. risks ceding diplomatic ground to rival powers such as China and Russia.
Additionally, domestic opponents of the decision argue that NPR and PBS offer critical educational, cultural, and emergency information services, particularly to underserved rural communities.
Supporters of the bill, however, have praised the Trump administration’s push for what they call “fiscal responsibility.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who voted in favour of the bill, said, “American taxpayers deserve to know their money is not being wasted on programs that no longer align with our strategic national priorities.”
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