Thune in the Capitol on Wednesday. Photo: Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
Some Republican senators are mobilizing against the White House rescissions package and its $900 million in global health cuts — enough to put its Senate passage in jeopardy.
Why it matters: The fate of some funding for PEPFAR, maternal health programs and other aid hinges on whether Congress passes the package by July 18.
What they're saying: Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Wednesday that she couldn't support the package in its current form.
- Sen. Susan Collins has been reiterating her concerns with PEPFAR and public broadcasting cuts, using a Wednesday night interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network to criticize "the hundreds of millions of dollars that the OMB has proposed" taking back.
- Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Wednesday that the amendment process would be "fairly open" and that proposed changes would "probably get votes."
- Other senators including Mike Rounds and Jerry Moran have expressed concern with public broadcasting cuts affecting stations in outlying areas.
Catch up quick: The $9.4 billion package that OMB sent to the Hill includes DOGE-directed cuts to State Department and USAID global health programs.
- It calls for eliminating $500 million for USAID programs addressing child and maternal health and infectious diseases, and $400 million for HIV/AIDS prevention, which includes PEPFAR.
Between the lines: Any amendments offered to the package have to be germane to the bill, and further cuts cannot be added. These amendments will be offered on the Senate floor rather than in the Appropriations Committee.
- That "germaneness" requirement narrows the number and type of amendments that can be offered, particularly by Democrats. Despite that, senators are prepared for another vote-a-rama.
- Any changes would also have to clear the House.
What's next: Thune told Axios' Stef Kight this week that rescissions would be "a next-week exercise" and that there would probably be a motion to discharge the package from the Appropriations Committee to the Senate floor.
- Only seven legislative days remain until the July 18 deadline.
