INTERNACIONAL
Congress sends $9B spending cuts package to Trump’s desk after late-night House vote
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Congress is officially sending a package detailing $9 billion in spending cuts to President Donald Trump’s desk, minutes after midnight on Friday.
The bill, called a «rescissions package,» was approved by the House of Representatives in a late-night 216 to 213 vote after intense debate between Republicans and Democrats. Just two Republicans, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Mike Turner, R-Ohio, voted in opposition.
Friday was also the deadline for passing the legislation, otherwise the White House would be forced to re-obligate those funds as planned.
It’s a victory for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., but a mostly symbolic one – the spending cuts bill was largely seen by Trump allies as a test run of a fiscal claw-back process not used in more than two decades.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson ushered through President Donald Trump’s spending cuts (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«This bill tonight is part of continuing that trend of getting spending under control. Does it answer all the problems? No. $9 billion, I would say is a good start,» House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said during debate on the bill.
When signed by Trump, it will block $8 billion in funding to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and $1 billion to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the remainder of the fiscal year. The dollars had been allocated by Congress for the duration of fiscal year 2025.
Republicans celebrated it as a victory for cutting off the flow of U.S. taxpayer dollars to what they called «woke» initiatives abroad, while Democrats accused the right of gutting critical foreign aid.
Rescissions packages are a way for the president to have input in Congress’ yearly appropriations process. The White House sends a proposal to block some congressionally obligated funds, which lawmakers have 45 days to get through the House and Senate.
Republicans have also been able to sideline Democrats so far, with the rescissions process lowering the Senate’s threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51.
The last time a rescissions package was signed into law was 1999.
Consideration of the bill began with a House Rules Committee hearing at 6 p.m. on Thursday evening.
Ranking member Rep. Jim McGovern attempted to force multiple voted related to Jeffrey Epstein (Tom Williams)
Democrats attempted multiple times throughout the process to weaponize the ongoing inter-GOP fallout over the Jeffrey Epstein case, both in the House Rules Committee and on the chamber floor during debate on the bill.
Multiple calls were made for votes to force the release of the so-called Epstein «files.»
«If every Republican votes to block our attempt to release the records, they are telling Epstein’s victims, you don’t matter as much as our political convenience. And that should disgust every single one of us,» said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.
Far-right GOP figures are demanding accountability, while Trump has called on his base to move on after the Department of Justice (DOJ) signaled the case was closed.
Initial plans to begin advancing the bill earlier in the day were quickly scuttled, with Republicans on the committee being concerned about being put into a difficult position with potential Epstein votes.
In the end, a compromise led to the House Rules Committee advancing a separate nonbinding measure dealing with Epstein transparency, on a parallel track to the rescissions bill.
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«All the credible evidence should come out. I’ve been very clear with members of the House Rules Committee. Republicans have been taking the incoming criticism because they voted to stop the Democrats’ politicization of this, and they’re trying to stick to their job and move their procedural rules to the floor so we can do our work and get the rescissions done for the American people,» Johnson told reporters during negotiations earlier in the day.
Democrats nevertheless pressed on, mentioning Epstein multiple times on the House floor. McGovern even briefly led a chant of «release the files» when closing debate on the bill.
Republicans, in turn, accused Democrats of hypocrisy.
«Interesting how they talk about Jeffrey Epstein, because for four years, Mr. Speaker, President Joe Biden had those files, and not a single Democrat that you’re hearing tonight tried to get those files released,» House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said at one point during the House floor debate.
The House initially voted to advance a $9.4 billion rescissions package, but it was trimmed somewhat in the Senate after some senators had concerns about cutting funding for HIV/AIDS prevention research in Africa.
Trump is expected to sign the bill on Friday.
INTERNACIONAL
La Unión Europea da un paso clave en el acuerdo con el Mercosur, pero todavía quedan varios obstáculos
Como anunciaba meses atrás la Comisión Europea, el 2025 puede ser el año del acuerdo entre el Mercosur y la Unión Europea.
Casi 25 años después de las primeras negociaciones, la cumbre europea de este jueves emitió un atisbo de fumata blanca. Tras la reunión, el jefe del gobierno alemán, el democristiano Friedrich Merz, aseguró por sorpresa que los 27 dirigentes habían hecho un voto informal sobre el acuerdo y que el resultado había sido unánime a favor de una rápida ratificación.
En los últimos meses la Comisión Europea sopesó presentar el texto a los ministros de Comercio. Francia se resistía a aprobarlo, pero las semanas fueron pasando y en verano quedó claro que París iba a tener muy difícil reunir los votos necesarios para lograr una minoría de bloqueo.
La diplomacia española, que ha estado durante las dos últimas décadas apoyando el pacto sin importar quién gobernara en Madrid, no quiso echar las campanas al vuelo porque este jueves todavía veía resistencias.
También quiso frenar Antonio Costa, presidente del Consejo Europeo, el organismo que reúne a los jefes de Estado o de gobierno. El portugués, ex primer ministro, dijo que no se había votado. De hecho, los líderes no votan acuerdos comerciales, algo que queda para ministros o incluso embajadores.
Costa dijo en conferencia de prensa que no hubo ni voto, pero sí que había “pedido a los líderes que dieran a sus embajadores la orden de resolver los problemas técnicos que quedan en las traducciones para que se pueda firmar a tiempo”.
Pero las declaraciones de Merz, que respaldaron diplomáticos de varios países explicando que no había habido un voto formal sino una discusión en la que sí se mostró esa unanimidad a favor del pacto, muestran que las reticencias son menores y salvables.
El paso alemán, ya con todo a favor del acuerdo y con solo Francia, entre los grandes europeos, con reticencias, acelera el proceso. La cumbre cerró con el presidente francés Emmanuel Macron echando el freno y diciendo que no estaba todo cerrado, pero sin desmentir a Merz y asegurando que las cesiones hechas a los sectores agropecuarios europeos eran adecuadas.
Si los ministros votan en las próximas semanas (no tienen por qué ser los de Comercio, vale cualquier reunión de ministros europeos de cualquier ramo) y el texto sale adelante, el Parlamento Europeo podría tener que ratificarlo antes de finales de año y se abre la fecha del 19 de diciembre para su ratificación definitiva, tras casi 25 años.
Javi López, vicepresidente del Parlamento Europeo, de la familia socialdemócrata catalana, aseguró a Clarín que, aunque justa, la votación saldría adelante por una ventaja de entre 30 y 50 votos (la Cámara tiene 705). Es la misma diferencia que permitió hace un año revalidar en su cargo a Úrsula Von der Leyen, presidenta de la Comisión Europea.
La firma podrían hacerla incluso los embajadores de los 27 ante la Unión Europea, bajando incluso así un poco más el peso político de la decisión, y de paso sacándola también de las tapas de los medios.
Fuentes diplomáticas de tres países del bloque, dos favorables al acuerdo y uno contrario, aseguraron estos días a Clarín que sí está todo hecho, pero que Macron (y algunos primeros ministros de países menores donde el acuerdo sigue viéndose como un peligro para sus sectores agropecuarios) necesita un poco más de tiempo para vender el acuerdo a su clase política.
Mercosur sigue siendo una de las niñas de los ojos bonitos de los europeos, sobre todo tras el advenimiento de la segunda administración Trump y su guerra arancelaria. El acuerdo entre la Unión Europea y el Mercosur sería el mayor acuerdo comercial del planeta por el volumen de intercambios y por la población que reúnen los dos bloques.
Europa sabe que llega tarde, pero aún quiere fijar sus banderas en los países del Mercosur, porque se juega decenas de miles de millones de euros en inversiones y porque China le ha ido comiendo partes de ese mercado en las últimas dos décadas.
Precisamente contra China se van endureciendo los europeos. Si China no estaba oficialmente entre los debates de esta cumbre, sí lo estuvo en las reuniones y en las declaraciones finales.
Hay dudas sobre cómo reaccionar ante una China que impone ahora restricciones a la exportación de tierras raras que la industria europea necesita como el aire. Por eso el propio Macron pidió el jueves que la Comisión Europea utilice por primera vez el mecanismo que llama “instrumento anti-coerción” si China no cede y realmente bloquea esas exportaciones.
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Two Spanish fighter jets were scrambled while on NATO air policing missions after Russian aircraft violated Lithuanian airspace.
The Lithuanian armed forces said that at approximately 6:00 p.m. local time on Thursday, two Russian aircraft — an SU-30 and an IL-78 — flew about 765 yards into Lithuanian airspace, The Associated Press reported. The aircraft allegedly flew away after approximately 18 seconds.
«This evening, Russian military planes violated Lithuanian airspace. This is a blatant breach of international law and territorial integrity of Lithuania. Once again, it confirms the importance of strengthening European air defense readiness,» Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda posted on X.
NATO WARNS RUSSIA AFTER POLAND SHOOTS DOWN ‘HUGE NUMBER’ OF DRONES THAT VIOLATED ITS AIRSPACE
Lithuania accused Russia of violating its airspace, leading to the scrambling of two jets on a NATO mission. (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images; Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via Reuters)
Nausėda announced that the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs would summon representatives from the Russian embassy in Vilnius «to protest against reckless and dangerous behavior.» The ministry later confirmed on X that the Russian charge d‘affaires was summoned in protest of the airspace violation.
«Russia must cease its aggressive behavior, respect international law and the borders of neighboring states,» the ministry said in a post on X.
Russia’s defense ministry denied Lithuania’s claim, saying that SU-30 fighter jets were conducting training flights over the Kaliningrad region in strict compliance with the rules, the AP reported.
«The aircraft did not deviate from their flight route or violate the borders of other states, as confirmed by objective monitoring means,» the ministry said, according to the AP.
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow on Dec. 19, 2024. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images)
RUSSIAN JETS CARRYING BALLISTIC MISSILES VIOLATE ESTONIAN AIRSPACE, FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS
Baltic nations have been on heightened alert amid Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine, according to the AP. The outlet added that the recent airspace incursions have fueled fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be testing NATO, though Moscow has denied this.
Poland, Denmark and Romania, which are all NATO member states, reported airspace violations by Russian drones in the last few months. In August, Romania was forced to scramble F-16 jets after Russia carried out a strike just half a mile from its territory as U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin ahead of the Kremlin leader’s Alaska summit with President Donald Trump.
Earlier this week, Trump called off a meeting with Putin that was set to take place in Budapest, Hungary. While the White House did not rule out the possibility of a future summit, Trump has criticized Putin for his lack of action to move toward peace with Ukraine.
President Donald Trump canceled a summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. (Getty Images)
Trump «feels as though, unfortunately, from the Russian side as of late, he has not seen enough interest in enough action in terms of moving the ball forward toward peace,» White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday.
«And so a meeting between these two leaders is not completely off the table. I think the president and the entire administration hope that one day that can happen again, but we want to make sure that there’s a tangible positive outcome out of that meeting, and that it’s a good use of the president’s time,» she added.
While sitting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters that the meeting was canceled and that «it didn’t feel right» to him.
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«It just didn’t feel right to me,» Trump said Wednesday. «It didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get, so I canceled it, but we’ll do it in the future.»
No plans for a future meeting have been announced since the cancellation of the summit in Hungary.
Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
nato,europe,russia,ukraine,vladimir putin
INTERNACIONAL
Trump to jet off to Asia as North Korea fires ballistic missiles and China trade questions loom
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President Donald Trump is heading off to Asia Friday evening, not long after North Korea fired off a ballistic missile for the first time in months and as questions loom regarding trade negotiations with China.
The White House confirmed that Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.
The meeting comes amid escalated tensions between the two countries on trade after Beijing announced Oct. 9 it would impose export controls on rare-earth magnets, which are used in a host of products ranging from electric cars to F-35 fighter jets. In response, Trump announced the U.S. would impose a new 100% tariff on all Chinese goods, which is slated to take effect Nov. 1.
Even so, Trump sought to diffuse tensions and has routinely touted his relationship with Xi in recent weeks. Additionally, he has voiced confidence both parties will walk away from the summit pleased and that a deal will be made.
TRUMP THREATENS ‘MASSIVE’ CHINA TARIFFS, SEES ‘NO REASON’ TO MEET WITH XI
The White House confirmed that President Donald Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
«I think we are going to come out very well, and everyone’s going to be very happy,» Trump said Thursday.
The summit between Trump and Xi will mark the first time they’ve met in person since Trump took office in January. The two previously met in person in June 2019 in Japan.
Trump’s meeting with Xi will come on the tail end of a larger trip to the region. Trump is first headed to Malaysia to meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim Sunday afternoon before participating in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) dinner in the evening.
NORTH KOREA LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILES DAYS BEFORE TRUMP’S VISIT TO THE PENINSULA
Xi Jinping, China’s president, during a news conference with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president, not pictured, at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, Brazil Nov. 20, 2024. (Ton Molina/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
While in Malaysia, he will also meet with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
Trump will then head to Tokyo Monday and is slated to meet on Tuesday with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who was just elected earlier in October. Takaichi is the first woman to serve as the prime minister of Japan.
Trump will then close out his trip heading to South Korea, where he will meet with the South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and will deliver keynote remarks at the APEC CEO lunch.
TRUMP ANNOUNCES MEETING WITH XI JINPING AT SOUTH KOREA APEC SUMMIT SCHEDULED FOR NEXT MONTH
President Donald Trump, right, and Xi Jinping, China’s president, greet attendees waving American and Chinese national flags during a welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Nov. 9, 2017. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump is scheduled to return to Washington Thursday.
Meanwhile, North Korea has upped its aggression in recent days, firing off multiple short-range ballistic missiles Wednesday, the first one Pyongyang has launched since May. Meanwhile, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un showed off a new intercontinental ballistic missile at a military parade in front of Chinese, Russian and other top officials Oct. 10.
«We are aware of the DPRK’s multiple ballistic missile launches and are consulting closely with the Republic of Korea and Japan, as well as other regional allies and partners,» U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said in a statement on Wednesday.
«The United States condemns these actions and calls on the DPRK to refrain from further unlawful and destabilizing acts,» INDOPACOM said. «While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, or territory or to our allies, we continue to monitor the situation.»
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
white house,donald trump,south korea,japan,china
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