Approved by 51 votes to 48, the measure has Trump’s support and reduces resources for foreign aid and public communication vehicles
The Senate of In the early hours of Thursday (17) approved a cut of $ 9 billion (50 billion reais) spending supported by the president as it affects help programs abroad and public media. The project is expected to return now to the House of Representatives for its definitive approval before Friday (18), as Congress had already allocated the funds. If the text is not approved, the government should spend the money according to what was planned.
The procedure is uncommon and known as a “termination package”, an option that has not been used for decades. The approval of the House was considered a test for the cuts proposed by the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), led by the entrepreneur who has abandoned the mission and now faces a bitter relationship with Trump. The cutting measures faced resistance in both parties, but finally the Senate, mostly republican, approved the package with 51 votes in favor and 48 contrary in a session that ended at dawn.
The package faced resistance, as the text approved in June by the House of Representatives included a dollar 400 million (2.2 billion reais) cut for health programs financing, including the Pepfar Plan for the fight against AIDS, created by Republican President George W. Bush.
According to experts, the program has saved 26 million lives and finally its cut was rejected, which paved the way for the approval of the text. The influential Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told AFP that the legislation is aligned with Trump’s promises to cut spending. “I always supported the foreign aid … The ‘soft power’ is necessary,” he said. “But when you start spending money on a bunch of trash and progressive programs disconnected from the purpose of help, it’s hard for a person like me to accept.”
*With information from AFP
