Senate Republicans are preparing to advance a multibillion-dollar package of budget cuts proposed by the White House, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warns the move could trigger serious consequences in the looming government funding battle this fall.
On Tuesday, Schumer voiced his concerns about the GOP’s $9.4 billion rescissions package, cautioning fellow Democrats that its passage would have “grave implications” for upcoming bipartisan negotiations on federal spending.
“Republicans’ passage of this purely partisan proposal would be an affront to the bipartisan appropriations process,” Schumer wrote in a letter to Senate Democrats. He argued that Senate Republicans cannot expect Democrats to negotiate in good faith on future government funding while simultaneously pushing through unilateral cuts to programs that were negotiated on a bipartisan basis.
The proposed cuts, submitted under the Impoundment Control Act, would pull back $8.3 billion from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and more than $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which supports NPR and PBS.
The package closely mirrors spending reductions championed by former President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), previously led by Elon Musk. The plan narrowly passed the House last month and only requires a simple majority to clear the Senate.
The package is not universally supported among Republicans. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins expressed unease over cuts to programs like the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and CPB, warning that slashing AIDS and HIV prevention funding would be “extraordinarily ill-advised and shortsighted.”
Congress faces a September deadline to fund the government. Lawmakers will either need to pass 12 separate appropriations bills – something not achieved in years – or negotiate a broader deal that would require bipartisan support in the Senate.
Schumer hinted at using the GOP’s rescissions push as leverage in these talks. Earlier this year, he delayed supporting a GOP-backed funding extension before ultimately agreeing to a deal. A similar standoff could play out again in the fall.
“This isn’t just a bait-and-switch – it’s a bait-and-poison,” Schumer declared. “Senate Republicans must reject this partisan path and instead work with Democrats to secure a responsible bipartisan funding process.”
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