The House is expected to approve President Donald Trump’s request to claw back about $9 billion in already appropriated funding for public broadcasting and foreign aid Thursday evening.
The White House had described the rescissions package as a test case and said that if Congress went along, more would come. The House’s approval would mark the first time in decades that a president has successfully submitted a rescissions request to Congress.
Opponents voiced concerns not only about the programs targeted, but about Congress ceding its spending powers to the executive branch as investments approved on a bipartisan basis are being subsequently cancelled on a party-line basis. No Democrats supported the measure when it passed the Senate in the early morning hours Thursday, 51-48, and two Republicans also voted no.
Other news we’re following:
- Trump’s checkup: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president noticed swelling in his lower legs and was evaluated by the White House medical unit. She said Trump has blood pooling in his veins, a common condition for older adults.
- ‘Good Trouble Lives On’ protests: Demonstrations against mass deportations and cuts to Medicaid and other safety nets for poor people are planned today at more than 1,600 locations around the country. The protests are named in honor of the late congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis.
- Prosecutor on Epstein case fired: The Justice Department fired Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI director James Comey and a federal prosecutor who worked on the cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jeffrey Epstein. In a note to colleagues, she wrote, “Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought.”
- Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell: Trump has repeatedly called for Powell’s resignation and indicated that a renovation of Fed buildings could be grounds for dismissing the leader of the U.S. central bank. He then told reporters Wednesday that it’s “highly unlikely” he would fire Powell.
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