Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) warned in a “Dear Colleague” letter to Democrats on Tuesday that a Republican package to claw back funding for public broadcasting and foreign aid would “poison” any bipartisan goodwill needed to negotiate the 12 annual spending bills.
Schumer argued that for Republicans to negotiate bipartisan spending deals with Democrats, which need 60 votes to pass the Senate, then to turn around and pass a partisan rescissions package that needs only a simple majority would be a blow to the regular appropriations process.
“Republicans’ passage of this purely partisan proposal would be an affront to the bipartisan appropriations process,” Schumer warned in his letter, adding that it would be “absurd” for GOP lawmakers to then “expect Democrats to act as business as usual and engage in a bipartisan appropriations process to fund government.”
Schumer cited reporting suggesting Trump administration officials promised conservatives on Capitol Hill to defund certain federal programs in exchange for their support of the sweeping tax and spending bill, which President Trump signed into law July 4.
“This is beyond bait and switch — it is a bait and poison-to-kill. Senate Republicans must reject this partisan path and instead work with Democrats on a bipartisan appropriations process,” he said.
The Senate has until July 18 to vote on the rescissions package Trump sent to Capitol Hill, which would claw back $9.4 billion in congressionally authorized funding. It would revoke $1.1 billion in funding for PBS, NPR and $8.3 billion in foreign aide.
It narrowly passed the House by a vote of 214 to 212 last month.
“Republicans are, in effect, proposing Congress negotiate bipartisan deals in the Committee room, while they retreat to a backroom to rubberstamp President Trump’s purely partisan scheme that only needs a simple majority to pass to tear up those very same agreements,” Schumer wrote.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) has voiced concerns about cuts to global health programs, and senators expect the House-passed package to be modified when it comes to the Senate floor.
“I do not support the rescission for PEPFAR and global health programs,” Collins told reporters last month when asked about the rescissions proposal.
Schumer on Tuesday urged Collins and other GOP senators to reject the rescissions package and put together bipartisan deals on appropriations for fiscal 2026, warning that a failure to work in good faith would have long-lasting implications for Congress.
“How Republicans answer this question on rescissions and other forthcoming issues will have grave implications for the Congress, the very role of the legislative branch, and, more importantly, our country,” he wrote.
