At the beginning of Thursday, the US Senate approved a package of expenses proposed by President Donald Trump, which would cancel more than $ 9 billion to finance foreign aid and public broadcasting programs.
The upper chamber of the Greenery Congress illuminated measures in what was considered the first test of how easily the lawmakers could mention the law looking for the Department of Elon Musk’s Government (DOGE)-the result of the indictment of the technical tycoon from the government.
Despite the unpopularity of the restrictions in some sections in both parties, the Republican Senate approved measures with 51 votes and 48 against the meeting that took place more than two hours after midnight.
The version of the text approved in June of the House of Representatives tried to eliminate $ 400 million financing, including the Pepfar Global AIDS Relief Fund created by the then President George W. Bush.
But the detorts of Pepfar – who saved an estimated 26 million lives – was considered a non -warrant among a handful of mild Republican senators and the proposal was canceled.
Senator South Carolina Lindsey Graham said AFP that the bill is in accordance with Trump’s promises to reduce expenses.
“I was a big fan of foreign aid accounts … I’m a big Hawkish guy, but you need foreign help. You need soft power,” he said.
“But when you start spending money on a lot of junk and liberal programs will disconnect from the purpose of the help package, it makes it difficult as I am.”
The bill now returns to the house for final approval, with the legislature against the lessons. Congress, which has already assigned the money, must approve cuts on Friday or the White House must spend cash, as originally intended.
Legal regulations on the collection of money already approved by Congress – known as “rescue packages” – are very rare and such a measure has not taken place over the decade.
Also read | Airtel-Perplexity for Deal: All customers get free access
“Surrender of powers”
About a dozen Republicans have expressed concern about allowing the White House to dictate cuts and place them in Trump’s threads who threatened to hold their confirmation from all rebels last week.
The vote was the first in what the Republicans offered as a potential series of packages that codified the cuts of DOGE.
Musk was tapped to lead a working group after a technical billionaire spent $ 290 million to help him choose.
SpaceX and Tesla boss boasted to be able to save $ 2 trillion in federal expenditure – but at the end of May he left the White House under the cloud as he fought Trump over deficits and expenditure.
Doge acknowledges that it has saved only $ 190 billion to taxpayers – and even considered the control of the facts to be doubtful, given the previous inaccuracies in their accounts.
The rescue package reduces approximately $ 8 billion foreign aid, with a large part approved by the USAID humanitarian organization, one of the first DOGE goals.
Approximately $ 1 billion to public broadcasts is to be taken from the corporation, helping to finance the national public radio radio radio radio radio radio radio broadcasting and public broadcasting (PBS) as well as more than 1,500 local radio and television stations.
Conservatives often accuse PBS and NPR of bias and Trump in May signed an executive order to end federal financing of both networks.
The Democrats say that reducing funding does not make a meaningful decrease in the deficit, but instead dismantles a credible source of information for millions of Americans.
“This is another example that the spirit and ideals of our constitution are terribly undermined. We are a nation that believes that (Congress) has a real role,” said Senator New Jersey Cory Booker AFP.
“And this is a bunch of my colleagues in the thall of the President, by submitting our powers and urgency to cooperate and do it in a two -sided way to improve budgets.”
Responding to responsibility: This story has been published from the Agency’s wire feed without text modifications. Only the title has been changed.
(Tagstotranslate) USA Senate
