Following closely on the heels of the “One Big Beautiful Bill (H,R. 1), the Rescissions Act of 2025 (H.R. 4), signed into law by President Trump on July 24th, deals a serious blow to the entrenched "deep state" and wasteful government spending, clawing back roughly $8 billion in previously approved federal funds.
The bill, which passed the House (216-213) in a late night vote on July 18th and the Senate (51-48) on July 17th, targets $7.9 billion in foreign aid and $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which funds propaganda outlets NPR and PBS, outlets long accused of liberal bias. This move, the first successful presidential rescission since 1999, codifies cuts proposed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), exposing the bloated bureaucracy critics have railed against for years.
Key Republican figures such as House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune championed the bill, while House Representatives Brian Fitzpatric and Mike Turner along with Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joined Democrats in opposition, citing risks to rural emergency alerts and global health programs like PEPFAR, which saw a $400 million cut removed after GOP moderates pushed back. Critics, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, warned the bill undermines Congress’s spending authority and America’s global influence.
Specific cuts include $800 million from refugee assistance, $496 million from disaster aid, and $4.15 billion from economic and democratic development programs, aligning with DOGE’s mission to slash “unnecessary” spending.
Conservatives see this as proof of a long-hidden agenda to redirect taxpayer money to globalist causes, with Trump’s team, including OMB Director Russ Vought, signaling more rescissions to come. Republicans are also planning a second reconciliation bill, in the wake of the passage of the :Big Beautiful Bill”.
However, the bill’s passage, enabled by the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, has sparked fears of eroded legislative checks, with Democrats vowing tougher resistance to future cuts and vowing a government shutdown in the fall.
For those who’ve long suspected government overreach, this is a rare victory, though the fight against the uniparty fiscal bloat continues.