The Republican-led Senate Republicans voted Thursday morning to pass a package of spending cuts requested by President Donald Trump, sending it to the House.
The rescissions package would cancel previously approved funding totaling $9 billion for foreign aid and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. Republicans passed it through a rarely used process to evade the 60-vote threshold and modify a bipartisan spending deal along party lines.
The vote of 51-48 followed a 13-hour series of votes on amendments, with two Republicansjoining Democrats in opposition to the final bill: Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Senate Democrats unanimously voted to reject the package. However, Tina Smith, D-Minn., missed all amendment votes, as well as final passage, while she spent the night in the hospital “out of an abundance of caution” after having not felt well, her office said.
To read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-vote-claw-back-9-billion-funding-npr-pbs-foreign-aid-rcna219088
