Senate clears key procedural hurdles on Trump DOGE cuts as deadline looms

The Senate cleared two procedural hurdles Tuesday/TK day to move closer to a final vote on the GOP effort to codify Department of Government Efficiency spending cuts as a deadline to act on the White House priority looms.

The Senate narrowly cleared two procedural hurdles Tuesday to move closer to a final vote on the GOP effort to codify Department of Government Efficiency spending cuts as a deadline to act on the White House priority looms. The package to claw back billions in federal funds Congress already approved for foreign aid and public broadcasting programs must pass the Senate and the House by Friday, under an obscure presidential budget law used to circumvent the filibuster. It got a boost when Senate Republicans appeared to have resolved sticking points related to a key global health initiative and rural radio access. Three GOP senators joined Democrats in voting against advancing the package: top Senate appropriator Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, former Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. The final tally for both votes was 51-50, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie breaking votes. The Senate is set to reconvene Wednesday morning for debate on the bill before proceeding to a marathon voting session on amendments, expected to start in the afternoon, followed by a final vote. It’s not yet clear when a final vote will take place. Earlier on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune confirmed that a controversial cut of $400 million that senators believed would impact the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, had been removed from the bill, known as a “rescission package.” With the change, the package clocks in at roughly $9 billion in cuts. The provision had faced criticism from a number of GOP holdouts. “We’re fine with adjustments. This is still a great package,” White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought told reporters on Tuesday after meeting with GOP senators at a closed-door lunch.