House Republicans narrowly passed a $9 billion spending cuts package early Friday, delivering a key victory for President Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency initiative. The bill, passed 216-213, now heads to Trump’s desk for signature.
The measure slashes $8 billion from foreign aid programs and $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, aligning with Trump’s push to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development and defund outlets like NPR and PBS. GOP Reps. Mike Turner and Brian Fitzpatrick were the only Republicans to oppose the bill.
Passed using a rarely invoked presidential budget law that bypasses the Senate filibuster, the package locks in core cuts from the DOGE initiative after weeks of internal GOP negotiations.
The revised bill came in $400 million lower than the original version after Senate pushback over proposed cuts to PEPFAR, a global AIDS relief program. Despite the change, conservatives backed the bill, citing substantial reductions in other global health spending.
The House Rules Committee also advanced a non-binding resolution Thursday night calling for more Epstein files to be released, though it carries no enforcement power.
