Trump moves to slash $9.5 billion in foreign aid and public media funding as humanitarian crises deepen

Trump moves to slash $9.5 billion in foreign aid and public media funding as humanitarian crises deepen.

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The Trump White House has formally requested that Congress rescind over $9 billion in previously approved federal spending, targeting critical foreign aid programs and public broadcasting services that have come under political fire from the administration.

The $9.4 billion proposal, sent to Congress this week, seeks to cancel unspent discretionary funds through the rarely used rescission process, a legal mechanism under the 1974 Impoundment Control Act that allows the president to recommend clawbacks of appropriated funding. The package, compiled by the Office of Management and Budget and backed by former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk, takes aim at 22 programs including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

“The proposed rescission affects programs of the Department of State, as well as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, United States Agency for International Development, the United States Institute of Peace, and other international assistance programs,” President Donald Trump said in a message accompanying the request.

The largest share of proposed cuts—$8.3 billion—would be drawn from foreign aid, primarily through USAID and the State Department. Among the targeted reductions are $500 million from global health programs, $800 million from Migration and Refugee Assistance, and $125 million from the Clean Technology Fund. Trump is also seeking to eliminate all U.S. contributions to UNICEF and the United Nations Development Program, and to rescind $9 million from PEPFAR and $22 million from the African Development Foundation.

“This attempt to claw back billions of dollars of federal funding already approved by Congress, including lifesaving foreign aid, is yet another deadly setback for communities now left without food, clean water, healthcare, and more,” said Abby Maxman, president and CEO of Oxfam America. “We are already seeing the life and death impacts of foreign assistance cuts—championed by a handful of the world’s richest people—on women, children, and communities already enduring poverty, hunger, conflict, and disaster.”

The rescission package also proposes eliminating $1.1 billion in federal support for public broadcasting, including $535 million in funding allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027. According to the White House, “These funds would be used to subsidize a public media system that is politically biased and an unnecessary expense to the taxpayer. Enacting the rescission would eliminate Federal funding for CPB.”

NPR and PBS, which have been repeatedly accused of bias by the Trump administration and congressional Republicans, are currently suing the president over efforts to terminate their funding.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, warned that this move could pave the way for future attacks on essential domestic programs. “This is just the beginning,” she said. “Next time, it might be funding for cancer research or to help working families afford their energy bills this summer.”

Elon Musk, who recently resigned from his brief tenure at DOGE to return to his private business ventures, played a central role in shaping the rescission package. Speaker Mike Johnson praised the proposal as a reflection of Musk’s government restructuring efforts. “Congress will continue working closely with the White House to codify these recommendations, and the House will bring the package to the floor as quickly as possible,” Johnson said.

Peter Maybarduk, Access to Medicines director at Public Citizen, condemned the rescission as an unlawful power grab. “This president, having unconstitutionally obliterated foreign aid, is now asking members of Congress to bless the power he illegally took from them and the destruction he has wrought with it,” he said. “Trump’s cuts will save no more than a rounding error, but cost America its credibility, and hundreds of thousands of people their very lives.”

While House Republicans plan to vote on the package next week, Senate support remains uncertain. Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, offered a cautionary response. “Despite this fast track, the Senate Appropriations Committee will carefully review the rescissions package and examine the potential consequences of these rescissions on global health, national security, emergency communications in rural communities, and public radio and television stations,” she said.

Collins was unequivocal in her defense of PEPFAR. “I will not support a cut to PEPFAR, which is a program that has saved literally millions of lives and has been extremely effective and well-run.”

Humanitarian organizations have already reported devastating effects from recent aid rollbacks. According to InterAction, “The closing of clinics in South Sudan caused at least five children with cholera to die while trying to access treatment. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, entire communities were cut off from water, food, and healthcare. Stories like these continue to emerge from across the globe.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Murray blasted the move as a political assault on critical institutions. In a joint statement, they said the package seeks to “settle political scores and muzzle the free press” and damages programs that “push back on China’s malign influence, save lives, and address other bipartisan priorities.”

Maybarduk warned that the implications go far beyond accounting. “It’s a low moment for our country,” he said.

Unless Congress votes to approve the rescission within 45 days, the proposal will expire. But White House budget director Russ Vought has indicated more cuts could follow. “We are certainly willing and able to send up additional packages if the congressional will is there,” he told reporters.

Sen. Murray added, “In asking Congress to rescind some of the funding he has been illegally blocking for months, Trump is conceding what we’ve known all along: that Congress—not the president—must approve the rescission or withholding of investments that were signed into law.”

With the rescission process not subject to the Senate’s 60-vote threshold, Republicans could potentially pass the proposal without any Democratic support—a move that could reshape America’s global footprint and independent media landscape for years to come.

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