In a bleary-eyed pre-dawn vote, the U.S. Senate passed a bill Thursday slashing $9 billion from previously approved federal funds.
So, what’s getting cut? Public broadcasting, global health aid, and more.
The 51-48 vote followed an all-night “vote-a-rama,” as senators argued over what stays and what goes.
It’s part of a broader push by Republicans—and President Trump—to rein in spending.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune called it “a small but important step toward fiscal sanity.” But not everyone’s cheering.
Where The Fire Began?
Funding for NPR and PBS. The bill proposes cutting over $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Senator Lisa Murkowski, one of just two Republicans to vote “no,” said rural Americans rely on those services—especially in emergencies.
Just ask NPR president Katherine Maher. “In Alaska, tsunami warnings were broadcast via NPR stations just yesterday,” she said.
Cutting that lifeline, she warned, could cost lives.
Meanwhile, $8 billion in international aid cuts—including to global health—also made it through.
An earlier proposal to slash $400 million from the U.S.-funded HIV/AIDS program Pepfar was dropped to win enough votes.
The bill now heads back to the House.
But with time running out, one big question remains: Will lawmakers agree before Friday’s deadline—or lose their shot at the cuts?
