WASHINGTON, D.C.—Early this morning, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) voted against President Trump’s rescissions bill, which claws back more than $9 billion in congressionally-appropriated funding for global health, foreign aid, and public media:
“This federal funding was negotiated on a bipartisan basis, passed with bipartisan support in both the Senate and House, and signed into law by President Trump. The rescissions bill is a reckless abandonment of our obligation as an independent branch of government to set spending. Republicans have, yet again, willingly ceded even more power to President Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE,” said Senator Welch. “This bill has far-reaching, devastating impacts—the cuts to public media, global health, peacekeeping missions, and international food aid will hurt hundreds of millions of people, at home and around the world. My colleagues have made it clear that they will turn their backs on rural American communities and starving children to appease Donald Trump.”
The bill passed around 2:30am on Thursday.
Senator Welch voted in support of amendments to protect funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and to restore funding for global health and food and nutrition aid programs.
The rescissions package, requested by President Trump and supported by Senate Republicans, would claw back millions of dollars in humanitarian assistance, foreign aid, and global health initiatives. This bill cuts funding for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID); the World Health Organization (WHO); United Nations peacekeeping missions; migration and refugee assistance programs; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; international food aid missions; the United States Institute of Peace (USIP); the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); and more.
Earlier this week Senator Welch called on Republicans to drop efforts to cut funding for the Global Fund, as well as President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the latter of which was removed from the rescissions package Tuesday.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting supports National Public Radio (NPR), the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and member stations across the United States. This bill would cut more than $1 billion in funding from the CPB, and hurt over 1,500 public radio and television stations across the country. Vermont stations received more than $2 million from the CPB in Fiscal Year 2024. Rural communities, families, and farmers rely on CPB-funded systems and news stations for lifesaving emergency alerts, breaking news, and educational programming.
Last week, Senator Welch spoke out against the president’s request cut funding for CPB and public media, saying “We must not abandon the people we represent and the right they have to public broadcasting. And we cannot abandon the trust we must have in one another to keep our word. An agreement made must be an agreement kept.”
###