Schumer warns GOP rescissions package could impact government funding fight
Senate Republicans are gearing up to discuss a significant package of cuts proposed by the White House, but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is cautioning against moving forward with the plan. Schumer, a Democrat from New York, issued a warning on Tuesday, stating that the GOP’s plan to push through a $9.4 billion rescissions package could have serious repercussions for a looming government funding showdown in September.
In a letter addressed to fellow Senate Democrats, Schumer expressed his concerns, describing the passage of the partisan proposal as undermining the bipartisan appropriations process. He emphasized that it would be unreasonable to expect Democrats to engage in bipartisan negotiations to fund the government while simultaneously pushing a purely partisan rescissions bill.
The proposed rescissions package, authorized by the Impoundment Control Act, allows the White House to request Congress to reduce previously allocated funding. For the cuts to take effect, approval from both chambers of Congress is required within 45 days.
The package currently under consideration includes a rollback of $8.3 billion in funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and over $1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which supports NPR and PBS. The proposal, influenced by the recommendations of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by tech mogul Elon Musk, would only need a simple majority in the Senate to pass.
Musk and his team targeted USAID for budget reductions as part of their efforts to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. The impending deadline in September to fund the government presents a challenge, requiring Congress to pass multiple appropriations bills—something that has not been achieved in recent years—or work with Democrats to secure the necessary 60 votes in the Senate.
Despite the plan’s advancement, not all Republicans are in favor of the rescissions package. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, expressed concerns about the proposed cuts to programs like the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the CPB. She warned against slashing funding for vital programs like PEPFAR, calling such actions “ill-advised and shortsighted.”
Schumer has a history of leveraging government funding battles to his advantage, as seen earlier this year when he withheld support for a government funding extension authored by House Republicans before eventually reaching a compromise. A similar scenario could unfold in September, with Schumer urging Senate Republicans to reject the partisan path and collaborate with Democrats on a bipartisan appropriations process.
As the debate over the rescissions package continues, the fate of government funding and the potential implications of partisan decisions remain uncertain. Schumer’s call for bipartisan cooperation underscores the importance of working together to ensure the effective functioning of the government and the allocation of resources to critical programs.
The article was written by Alex Miller, a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate, and has been adapted for a WordPress platform, incorporating key points and information from the original HTML content.
