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Trump’s modest spending cuts package survives narrow Senate vote as some Republicans break ranks
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What can you get for $9.4 billion?
3G Capital recently purchased footwear giant Skechers for $9.4 billion.
$9.4 billion could cover your rent for a pretty nice apartment in New York City for more than 40,000 years.
Yes, it will just be you and the cockroaches by then.
Or, you could pay the cost of every major disaster in the past four decades – ranging from Chernobyl to Fukushima to Hurricane Sandy.
‘LONG OVERDUE’: SENATE REPUBLICANS RAM THROUGH TRUMP’S CLAWBACK PACKAGE WITH CUTS TO FOREIGN AID, NPR
But $9.4 billion isn’t a lot when cast against nearly $7 trillion in annual spending by the federal government.
And it’s really not much money when you consider that the U.S. is about slip into the red to the tune of $37 trillion.
Which brings us to the Congressional plan to cancel spending. That is, a measure from Republicans and the Trump Administration to rescind spending lawmakers already appropriated in March. The House and Senate are now clawing back money lawmakers shoved out the door for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and foreign aid programs under USAID. The original proposal cut $9.4 billion. But that figure dwindled to $9 billion – after the Senate restored money for «PEPFAR,» a President George W. Bush era program to combat AIDS worldwide.
In other words, you may have a couple thousand years lopped off from your rent-controlled apartment in New York City. Of course that hinges on what Democratic mayoral nominee Zorhan Mamdani decides to do, should he win election this fall.
Anyway, back to Congressional spending. Or «un-spending.»
The House passed the original version of the bill in June, 216-214. Flip one vote and the bill would have failed on a 215-215 tie. Then it was on to the Senate. Republicans had to summon Vice President Vance to Capitol Hill to break a logjam on two procedural votes to send the spending cancellation bill to the floor and actually launch debate. Republicans have a 53-47 advantage in the Senate. But former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., along with Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska and Susan Collins, R-Maine, voted nay – producing a 50-50 tie.
Fox is told some Senate Republicans are tiring of McConnell opposing the GOP – and President Trump – on various issues. That includes the nay votes to start debate on the spending cancellation bill as well as his vote against the confirmation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in January.
«He used to be the Leader. He was always telling us we need to stick together,» said one GOP senator who requested anonymity. «Now he’s off voting however he wants? How time flies.»
Note that McConnell led Senate Republicans as recently as early January.
But McConnell ultimately voted for the legislation when the Senate approved it 51-48 at 2:28 am ET Thursday morning.
Murkowski and Collins were the only noes. The services of Vice President Vance weren’t needed due to McConnell’s aye vote and the absence of Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn. She fell ill and was admitted to George Washington Hospital for exhaustion.
As for the senior senator from Alaska, one GOP senator characterized it as «Murkowski fatigue.»
«She always asking. She’s always wanting more,» groused a Senate Republican.
Murkowski secured an agreement on rural hospitals in exchange for her vote in favor of the Big, Beautiful Bill earlier this month. However, Murkowski did not secure more specificity on the DOGE cuts or help with rural, public radio stations in Alaska on the spending cut plan.
SENATE TO DEBATE TRUMP’S $9B CLAWBACK BILL AFTER DRAMATIC LATE-NIGHT VOTES
«My vote is guided by the imperative of coming from Alaskans. I have a vote that I am free to cast, with or without the support of the President. My obligation is to my constituents and to the Constitution,» said Murkowski. «I don’t disagree that NPR over the years has tilted more partisan. That can be addressed. But you don’t need to gut the entire Corporation for Public Broadcasting.»
In a statement, Collins blasted the Trump administration for a lack of specificity about the precision of the rescissions request. Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee in charge of the federal purse strings, also criticized the administration a few months ago for a paucity of detail in the President’s budget.
«The rescissions package has a big problem – nobody really knows what program reductions are in it. That isn’t because we haven’t had time to review the bill,» said Collins in a statement. «Instead, the problem is that OMB (the Office of Management and Budget) has never provided the details that would normally be part of this process.»
Collins wasn’t the only Republican senator who worried about how the administration presented the spending cut package to Congress. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., fretted about Congress ceding the power of the purse to the administration. But unlike Collins, Wicker supported the package.
Director of the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Russell (Russ) Vought speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House on July 17, 2025, in Washington, DC. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS)
«If we do this again, please give us specific information about where the cuts will come. Let’s not make a habit of this,» said Wicker. «If you come back to us again from the executive branch, give us the specific amounts in the specific programs that will be cut.»
DOGE recommended the cuts. In fact, most of the spending reductions targeted by DOGE don’t go into effect unless Congress acts. But even the $9.4 billion proved challenging to cut.
«We should be able to do that in our sleep. But there is looking like there’s enough opposition,» said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Fox Business.
So to court votes, GOP leaders salvaged $400 million for PEPFAR.
«There was a lot of interest among our members in doing something on the PEPFAR issue,» said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. «You’re still talking about a $9 billion rescissions package – even with that small modification.»
The aim to silence public broadcasting buoyed some Republicans.
HOMELAND SECURITY HALTS $18.5M IN TAXPAYER FUNDS FOR ‘RADICAL’ PROGRAMS
«North Dakota Public Radio – about 26% of their budget is federal funding. To me, that’s more of an indictment than it is a need,» said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.
But back to the $9 billion. It’s a fraction of one-tenth of one percent of all federal funding. And DOGE recommended more than a trillion dollars in cuts.
«What does this say for the party if it can’t even pass this bill, this piddling amount of money?» yours truly asked Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, arrives to speak to members of the media at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, July 17, 2025. Republicans are set to succeed in their decades-long quest to end federal funding for public broadcasting after the Senate passed a $9 billion package of cuts derived from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency effort. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
«I think we’re going to lose a lot of credibility. And we should,» replied Kennedy.
But the House needed to sync up with the Senate since it changed the bill – stripping the cut for AIDS funding. House conservatives weren’t pleased that the Senate was jamming them again – just two weeks after major renovations to the House version of the Big, Beautiful Bill. But they accepted their fate.
«It’s disappointing that we’re $37 trillion in debt. This to me was low-hanging fruit,» said Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo. «At the end of the day, I’ll take a base hit, right? It’s better than nothing.»
White House Budget Director Russ Vought is expected to send other spending cancellation requests to Congress in the coming months. The aim is to target deeper spending reductions recommended by DOGE.
But it doesn’t auger well for future rescissions bills if it’s this much of a battle to trim $9 trillion.
What can you get for that much money? For Republicans, it’s not much.
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Republicans were swinging for the fences with spending cuts.
But in the political box score, this is recorded as just a base hit.
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Former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland has been hospitalized, just two weeks after he was charged with aggravated corruption following disclosures in files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Jagland, 75, was hospitalized «due to the strain arising in the wake of this case,» attorney Anders Brosveet at Elden Law Firm told Bloomberg in a statement Monday.
Jagland, who also served as the secretary general of the Council of Europe and chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, is currently a focus of the high-profile Epstein probe.
Reports on the Epstein file disclosures suggest Jagland may have stayed at Epstein’s properties in Paris, New York and Palm Beach while leading the Council of Europe. Jagland has denied any criminal wrongdoing and maintains that he never visited Epstein’s private island.
Jeffrey Epstein emailed with former Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland in 2018, suggesting he tell Russian President Vladimir Putin he could get insight on then-newly elected President Donald Trump. (AP Photo, Terje Pedersen, NTB scanpix)
The Council of Europe recently lifted Jagland’s immunity for his 10-year tenure at the organization’s request, opening up the corruption charge investigation.
Norway’s economic crime authority has already conducted searches of Jagland’s private residences. Norwegian diplomats Terje Rød-Larsen and his wife, Mona Juul, are also under investigation by police, according to Bloomberg.
Jagland is one of several prominent global figures named in the recently disclosed documents. His legal team insists he is cooperating with authorities but argues there are no grounds for prosecution.
Jagland «takes this matter very seriously, but wishes to emphasize that he believes there are no circumstances that constitute criminal liability,» Brosveet said in a Feb. 11 statement.
RO KHANNA’S STATE OF THE UNION GUEST RECRUITED OVER 20 UNDERAGE GIRLS FOR EPSTEIN: ‘LIKE HEIDI FLEISS’
Jagland was the central figure behind the decision to award the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat. At the time, Jagland was the newly appointed chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and the choice was a controversial one at the time.
Jagland was the primary Nobel Prize advocate for Obama within the five-member committee. While some members were initially skeptical — given that Obama had been in office for less than nine months and the nomination deadline was just 12 days after his inauguration — Jagland reportedly used his influence to secure a unanimous vote.
He argued the prize should not just reward past deeds but should be used to «strengthen» a leader’s ongoing efforts toward global diplomacy.
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President Donald Trump rebuked Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize from 2009 as he pitched his own candidacy for the prize last fall.
«He got it for doing nothing,» Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Oct. 9. «Obama got a prize — he didn’t even know what [for] — he got elected, and they gave it to Obama for doing absolutely nothing but destroying our country.»
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El presidente de la Cámara de los Comunes notificó a la policía sobre el posible riesgo de fuga de Peter Mandelson
El presidente de la Cámara de los Comunes del Reino Unido dijo el miércoles que avisó a la policía que Peter Mandelson, el ex embajador en Estados Unidos que enfrenta acusaciones de filtrar información al fallecido delincuente sexual convicto Jeffrey Epstein, existía un posible riesgo de fuga.
Mandelson fue arrestado el lunes en su domicilio del norte de Londres bajo sospecha de mala conducta en el ejercicio de un cargo público. Quedó en libertad bajo fianza la madrugada del martes tras más de nueve horas de interrogatorio.
Los abogados de Mandelson, ex ministro de alto rango del gabinete, dijeron que el arresto fue el resultado de una “sugerencia infundada” de que planeaba huir del país y se llevó a cabo a pesar de un acuerdo de que hablaría voluntariamente con la Policía Metropolitana de Londres cuando se le solicitara.
El presidente de la Cámara de Representantes, Lindsay Hoyle, dijo a los legisladores que pasó información “relevante” a la policía, sin revelar la fuente.
“Para evitar cualquier especulación inexacta, me gustaría confirmar que, tras recibir la información que consideré relevante, la transmito de buena fe a la Policía Metropolitana, como es mi deber y responsabilidad”, declaró Hoyle. “Es lamentable que esto haya desaparecido rápidamente en los medios”.
Hoyle agregó que no sería apropiado que dijera nada más porque la investigación sobre Mandelson estaba en curso.
“La principal prioridad de Peter Mandelson es cooperar con la investigación policial, como lo ha hecho durante todo este proceso, y limpiar su nombre”, dijeron sus abogados del bufete Mishcon De Reya después de su liberación.
El arresto de Mandelson se produjo cuatro días después de que el ex príncipe Andrés fuera arrestado por la misma sospecha de mala conducta en un cargo público vinculado a Epstein.
Ambos hombres enfrentan acusaciones de haberle entregado información confidencial del gobierno al financiero caído en desgracia. Las acusaciones surgieron después de que el Departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos publicara el mes pasado un conjunto de más de tres millones de páginas de documentos relacionados con Epstein.
Mandelson, de 72 años, parece haber enviado a Epstein, a quien se refería como su “mejor amigo”, información gubernamental sensible que potencialmente podría influir en los mercados cuando era ministro principal del gobierno británico en 2009 y 2010.
Un informe interno del gobierno abordó la posible venta de activos gubernamentales para recaudar fondos para el Reino Unido tras la crisis financiera mundial de 2008. También pareció decirle a Epstein —quien se suicidó en una prisión de Nueva York en 2019— que presionaría a otros miembros del gobierno para que redujeran un impuesto sobre las bonificaciones de los banqueros.
Los registros de pago sugieren que Epstein entregó a Mandelson o a su esposo, Reinaldo Ávila da Silva, 75.000 dólares en 2003 y 2004. Mandelson afirmó no recordar haber recibido ese dinero y cuestionó la autenticidad de los extractos bancarios. Ha negado haber actuado mal.
Mandelson no enfrenta acusaciones de conducta sexual inapropiada.
El ex príncipe Andrés, ahora conocido como Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, también ha negado cualquier irregularidad en sus vínculos con el delincuente sexual convicto Epstein, pero no ha respondido directamente a las últimas acusaciones derivadas de los llamados Archivos Epstein.
(con información de AP)
North America
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President Donald Trump delivered a sweeping to-do list to Congress during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, urging lawmakers seven separate times to take action on priorities ranging from drug pricing and border security to crime and housing policy.
Codify «Trump Rx» Prescription Drug Pricing
Trump urged Congress to enshrine his «Most-Favored-Nation» drug pricing policy into law as part of his «Trump Rx» initiative. The policy aims to tie U.S. prescription drug prices to the lowest prices paid by other developed nations.
Earlier this month, his administration launched the TrumpRx website, a federal platform designed to allow Americans to search for select brand-name medications and access lower negotiated prices.
The site stems from agreements the White House said in December it reached with nine major pharmaceutical companies, including Amgen, Merck, Novartis, Sanofi and Bristol Myers Squibb. It lists dozens of high-cost drugs offered at discount prices to treat conditions such as diabetes, asthma, HIV, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
A page on the TrumpRx site is displayed on Feb. 9, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Despite suggesting it would be politically difficult to reverse the policy, Trump told lawmakers to «codify it anyway.»
Make Ban on Wall Street Home Purchases Permanent
After highlighting the story of a Houston mother outbid on 20 homes by investment firms, Trump asked Congress to make permanent his executive order banning large Wall Street-backed firms from buying single-family homes in bulk. «We want homes for people, not for corporations,» he said.
Pass the «Stop Insider Trading Act»
While outlining retirement policy changes and pledging to protect Social Security and Medicare, Trump pivoted to ethics reform, calling on lawmakers to «pass the ‘Stop Insider Trading Act’ without delay.»
The measure would ban members of Congress from buying individual stocks and require advance public notice before sales.
TRUMP TAKES JAB AT PELOSI BY NAME OVER HISTORY OF CONTROVERSIAL STOCK TRADING
Lawmakers attend the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., who introduced the bill, told FOX Business in January, «If you want to trade stocks you should go to Wall Street, not to Capitol Hill. I think we have an opportunity here to dramatically improve America’s trust in Congress.»
Pass the «Dalilah Law»
Following the story of a young girl seriously injured in a crash involving an illegal immigrant truck driver, Trump called on Congress to pass what he dubbed the «Dalilah Law,» barring states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to people in the country illegally.
«Dalilah Coleman was only 5 years old in June 2024 when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer plowed into her stopped car, traveling at 60 miles an hour or more,» Trump said. «The driver was an illegal alien let in by Joe Biden and given a commercial driver’s license by open borders politicians in California.»
Coleman’s father said the crash left her in a coma for three weeks and required six months of hospital treatment before her family could bring her home.
Restore Border and Homeland Security Funding
Trump accused Democrats of cutting off funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which is currently operating under a partial shutdown after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on a funding bill.
He demanded the «full and immediate restoration» of border and homeland security funding, framing it as essential to protecting Americans from crime and terrorism.
DHS TOUTS ‘MOST SECURE BORDER’ IN US HISTORY AMID DEPARTURE OF NEARLY 3M ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
President Donald Trump speaks during the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
End Sanctuary Cities
The president also urged lawmakers to end so-called sanctuary city policies, calling for «serious penalties» against public officials who block the removal of criminal illegal immigrants.
«They’re blocking the removal of these people out of our country. And you should be ashamed of yourself,» Trump told Democrats to loud Republican cheers.
ICE ARRESTS CONVICTED PEDOPHILES, VIOLENT ASSAILANTS AS TRUMP MEETS WITH ANGEL FAMILIES
President Donald Trump leaves after delivering the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Pass Tougher Laws for Repeat Offenders
Closing his legislative appeals, Trump asked Congress to pass stricter sentencing laws to ensure «violent and dangerous repeat offenders are put behind bars — and, importantly, that they stay there.»
He cited the death of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, who was stabbed to death on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, in August.
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«Iryna was riding home on the train when a deranged monster who had been arrested over a dozen times and was released through no cash bail, stood up and viciously slashed a knife through her neck and body. No one will ever forget there were people on that train,» Trump said. «No one will ever forget the expression of terror on Iryna’s face as she looked up at her attacker in the last seconds of her life. She died instantly. She had escaped a brutal war, only to be slain by a hardened criminal set free to kill in America.»
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