Senate Majority Leader John Thune has launched the first procedural vote on the White House’s request to reclaim $9.4 billion in spending, aiming to initiate the debate before the deadline for congressional approval. Despite the urgency, it remains uncertain whether Thune has the required 51 votes to begin the discussion on the package.
Congress must approve the request by Friday, or the administration will be compelled to spend the money as originally intended. As the deadline approaches, several GOP senators continue to push for the administration to clarify what portions of the spending are being rescinded. They will question President Donald Trump’s budget director, Russ Vought, during a private lunch meeting scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
“We are still missing the level of detail necessary to make the right decisions,” Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins conveyed to reporters Monday evening. “It’s quite unusual for a senator to lack such detailed information.”
Collins, a Republican from Maine, is particularly concerned about the administration’s plan to scale back the global AIDS-fighting program PEPFAR as well as other potential cutbacks in overseas public health. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) emphasized his interest in safeguarding funding for global food aid programs like Food for Peace and the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.
The situation is becoming increasingly clear that the rescission package will need to be modified to pass the Senate, with Thune stating that leadership is collaborating with cautious senators to “see what a path forward on amendments looks like.”
Senate leaders anticipate a series of amendment votes starting Wednesday, setting the stage for a final vote late Wednesday or early Thursday. If senators can advance a package with necessary modifications, House GOP leaders are planning to place the modified proposal on the floor by Thursday. They have already initiated steps to clear procedurally challenging obstacles that might hinder the passage of the spending cut proposal.
Complicating matters further is that House GOP leaders are not keen on the Senate amending the package, as they anticipate their members to be burdened with changes they do not favor, leading to a conflict between passing a diluted product or missing the deadline to take action.
“I believe we should respect the White House’s request, and that’s what we did, so I hope that’s what we get back,” Speaker Mike Johnson asserted to reporters Monday. “There are two main categories of rescissions, and I’m not certain either should be subject to debate.”
It remains uncertain whether an amended rescission package will find support in the Republican House. Fiscal conservatives are already drawing clear boundaries, as Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) went so far as to state he would not support a rescission package that is “a penny less” than the House-approved version.
MEANWHILE, IN OTHER FUNDING FIGHTS — Senate appropriators continue to face hurdles in moving a funding bill forward for the Commerce and Justice departments. They are attempting to schedule a briefing with the FBI on the administration’s rationale for abandoning its plan to move the bureau to suburban Maryland, according to Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), whose opposition to Trump’s desire for a site in the District of Columbia disrupted a markup of the bill last week.
Van Hollen, however, maintains that even if the FBI assures senators that the Washington location is a secure site, he will not reconsider his stance against the administration’s attempt to divert about $1.4 billion that has been allocated for relocating the agency’s campus to Maryland.
Across the Capitol: House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole stated that House leaders began orchestrating votes Monday night as the chamber prepares for its vote on the $831.5 billion defense appropriations bill later this week. While defense appropriations bills have historically been bipartisan, Republicans anticipate this measure to be a largely party-line endeavor.
What else we’re watching:
— Epstein meltdown: It remains to be seen whether Republican leaders will continue to face headaches from their members over the DOJ’s failure to release documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Rep. Norman voted Monday in favor of a Democratic amendment in the House Rules Committee that would have required a floor vote on the DOJ releasing more materials from the federal case.
— Russia sanctions timeline: The bipartisan Russian sanctions bill might stall in the House and Senate after Trump announced secondary tariffs on countries trading with Russia. Thune said Monday he would delay advancing the bill for now. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also mentioned that a vote could be postponed to after the August recess.
— Dems’ last stand against a controversial Trump pick: Senate Democrats are making a final effort to bring attention to a whistleblower’s allegations that Emil Bove, a high-ranking Justice Department official and 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals nominee, encouraged defiance of the same judicial branch he is seeking to join. Democrats want the whistleblower, Erez Reuveni, to testify before senators before their confirmation vote on Bove, set for Thursday morning.
Jordain Carney, Katherine Tully-McManus, Jennifer Scholtes, Meredith Lee Hill, and Cassandra Dumay contributed to this report.