IFPTE Strongly Opposes Trump Administration and OMB's First FY25 Rescission Request and Urges Senate to Reject All Rescission Proposals
Last night, on a 51-50 Senate vote with a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Vance, the Senate advanced a $9.4 billion rescission package that would cancel Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) funding for foreign health aid and defund the entirety of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, FY25 funding that Congress enacted with bipartisan support.
Senators Collins (R-ME), Murkowski (R-AK), and McConnell (R-KY) joined the Senate Democratic Caucus to vote against the motion to proceed. Unlike normal appropriations bills and other major legislation, bills to rescind appropriations do not require a 60 vote (3/5 of Senate) threshold to close debate and proceed to amendments and votes.
Ahead of the Senate vote to proceed to consideration of the rescission package, IFPTE sent a letter to Senators warning them that, “Not only are the current rescission requests and upcoming rescission requests certain to dismantle federal government services that working Americans and our economy count on and surrender our national security and global leadership on science and innovation, but these rescissions, if enacted, threaten the bipartisanship needed for Congress to exercise its constitutional authority to fund the government.”
The letter notes Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought’s testimony in the Senate indicated that the Trump Administration will send more rescission packages before FY25 ends on September 30 and “left the door wide open for OMB to use “pocket rescissions,” a bad-faith attempt to exploit and circumvent the intent and purpose of the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (ICA) to withhold appropriated funding at the end of the fiscal year while Congress considers rescissions requests within the 45-day window.”
Ultimately, the letter warns that the “breakdown of the working relationship between Appropriators across the aisle imperils not just FY26 funding, but the constitutionally defined role of Congress to hold the power of the purse.”
While this rescission bill does not directly impact IFPTE membership, IFPTE will continue to oppose partisan rescission proposals that seek tear down government functions and services that Americans support, to fight against rescission proposals that unlawfully impound Congressionally approved government funding. IFPTE is committed to upholding Congress’s constitutionally defined role to authorize and appropriate government funding and prevent the illegitimate Executive Branch overreach.