The U.S. House of Representatives has approved President Donald Trump’s $9 billion rescissions package, which will cut billions of dollars in previously approved foreign assistance funding. It’s the first rescissions package to be passed in nearly three decades — but according to White House budget chief Russell Vought, it’s unlikely to be the last.
“[It was a] very historic moment, the return of using rescissions,” said Vought, speaking to reporters before the vote on Thursday. “[We’re] getting the muscle memory for that back into the system.”
The package — which passed by a vote of 216-213 just past midnight on Friday — has been making its way through Congress for weeks. The Trump administration sent its initial request to lawmakers in late May, and across 22 pages, Vought laid out how the White House wanted Congress to backtrack on $9.4 billion in “wasteful and unnecessary spending” that was “antithetical to American interests.”
About the author
Elissa Miolene
Elissa Miolene reports on USAID and the U.S. government at Devex. She previously covered education at The San Jose Mercury News, and has written for outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washingtonian magazine, among others. Before shifting to journalism, Elissa led communications for humanitarian agencies in the United States, East Africa, and South Asia.
