The Trump Rescissions Package
What is at Stake Before July 18
In a week where most eyes are on Supreme Court rulings and campaign chaos, a quieter but deeply consequential bill is hurtling toward the Senate floor. It's called the Rescissions Act of 2025, and it’s the Trump administration’s first formal push to roll back federal spending—and seize power from Congress— targeting $9.4 billion in already-approved funding. The bill narrowly passed the House in June and must hit Trump’s desk by July 18 to take effect.
Let’s break down what is in this bill, where the cuts come from, and who stands to lose the most.
What the Bill Does
The rescissions package is a mass clawback of funds already set aside for foreign aid and public broadcasting—like PBS and NPR— two areas the Trump administration has deemed “wasteful” or, in their words, “antithetical to American values.”
$8.3 billion comes from international programs:
Global health programs, including a $400 million cut to PEPFAR—the HIV/AIDS prevention initiative credited with saving over 26 million lives.
Migration and refugee aid, slashing shelter, food, and family reunification programs.
Development assistance, with two-thirds of 2025’s budget on the chopping block.
Emergency disaster aid, economic stabilization funds, and international climate programs also face significant reductions.
Then there is $1.1 billion gutted from public broadcasting—cutting funding for PBS, NPR, and over 1,500 local stations across the country, many of which are already news deserts.
Who’s Behind This
While Trump is the face of the cuts, the driving force is the self-proclaimed Christian Nationalist, Russell Vought, his former budget director and current ideological enforcer. Vought now plays a key role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—the agency created to dismantle our federal government and expand executive power— which is behind these rescission recommendations.
Vought formally submitted the rescission request to Congress, calling the targeted programs "wasteful," “woke,” and harmful to American values. The reality? He is gutting initiatives that serve rural communities, tribal nations, and vulnerable populations around the world. He remains one of the most dangerous operatives in Trump’s orbit—quietly dismantling the guardrails of democracy while attention is focused elsewhere.
Who Will Be Hurt
Rural and tribal communities are at the highest risk. Local PBS and NPR stations serve as critical emergency infrastructure—especially in areas where cell service is weak and broadband is spotty. These stations are often the first and only source of weather warnings, wildfire alerts, or AMBER alerts.
In tribal regions, 36 Indigenous-owned stations could be gutted. These stations aren’t just news hubs—they preserve Native languages, cultures, and identities. For many, they are a community lifeline.
Meanwhile, cuts to international aid have very real consequences: worsening HIV/AIDS outcomes, disrupting disaster relief, and weakening global stability. Humanitarian experts warn these cuts could lead to millions of preventable deaths. Foreign policy experts warn that they open the door for authoritarian powers like China to fill the vacuum.
Why It Matters
This isn’t just a budget bill. It’s a blueprint for dismantling our government, along with public goods and safety—from emergency alerts to global health efforts to children’s programming like Sesame Street. It chips away at Congress’s power of the purse and sets a dangerous precedent: that the executive branch can unilaterally defund bipartisan priorities.
The Senate has a choice to make before July 18.
They can rubber-stamp a cynical attempt to gut programs that save lives, inform the public, and connect communities—or they can reject this assault on public infrastructure, global leadership, and our constitutional separation of powers.
We know where the Trump regime stands. The question is—will the Senate stand with the people or with the MAGA desire to destroy our democracy?
Call to Action
 | A guest post by
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Vance and his forked tongue minions are waiting in the wings...
https://youtube.com/shorts/M8ZSpGXy0n8?feature=shared
This a power grab disguised as a budget cut, targeting the most vulnerable at home and abroad. The public broadcasting cuts threaten essential services in underserved areas. Russell Vought is the architect — and he’s quietly dismantling democratic institutions.