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Trump's Senate calculator: The key votes to legalize DOGE cuts

After the bill passed the House, the Senate is the last stop before it reaches the president's desk.

Susan Collins in the Senate/ Alex Wroblewski.

Susan Collins in the Senate/ Alex Wroblewski.AFP

Joaquín Núñez
Published by
Joaquín Núñez

The GOP has until Friday to pass its "rescissions package," legislation that would allow them to codify spending cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This bill seeks to cut $9.4 billion, and there are doubts as to whether it has all the Republican support necessary to pass in the Senate.

The White House formally initiated the process on June 3, when it sent the bill in question to Congress. After being approved by the House of Representatives, the Senate is the last stop before reaching Donald Trump's desk.

If passed, the package will rescind $8.3 billion from foreign aid programs, including funds from the USAID liquidation, and would also cancel $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which includes funding for NPR and PBS.

Undecided Republicans

Unlike a normal procedure, the Funding Cancellation Package does not need the 60 votes to break debate in the Senate, but can pass with a simple majority. Currently, the GOP has a 53-47 majority. With this math, they can only afford a maximum of three casualties. In turn, 51 are needed to begin debate.

Republicans who already expressed doubts and reservations about the package are as follows:

  • Susan Collins (R-Maine)
  • Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
  • Bill Cassidy (R-La.)
  • Todd Young (R-Ind.)
  • Jerry Moran (R-Kan.)
  • Mike Rounds (R-S.D.)

While members of this group did not come out against the cuts, they did speak out in favor of more assurances and precision on certain issues. For example, Senator Cassidy stressed the need not to take money away from programs such as PEPFAR and other foreign aid initiatives.

As for Collins, who voted against the Big, Beautiful Bill, her main concerns have to do with cuts to public media and global health programs. "We still are lacking the level of detail that is needed to make the right decisions. It’s extremely unusual for any senator to not be able to get that kind of detailed information," she said Monday. Similar is the case for Senator Young.

Finally, both Murkowski and Rounds were vocal about the potential impact on rural communities in their states, which rely on public broadcasting for alerts and essential services.

In an effort to clear the air and secure votes to pass the package, the senators will participate in a lunch on Tuesday with Russell Vought, chairman of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

How the "funding cancellation package" works

This legislative tool stems from the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which prohibits the president from preventing the spending of funds previously approved by Congress.

The legislation was passed at the time to prevent President Richard Nixon from unilaterally withholding previously authorized spending items.

However, it provides two exceptions to the rule: spending extensions and spending rescissions. In the latter case, the White House can ask Congress to approve the proposed cuts through a "funding cancellation package."

This process has a 45-day window from submission and is governed by a simple majority in both chambers, circumventing the 60-vote rule to break debate in the Senate. The White House can activate this process as many times as it likes, with no annual limits.

In addition, it can only be used to cut discretionary funds and spending pipelines, but not mandatory spending such as Medicaid, Social Security or interest on debt.

As for "spending pipeline" items, they are those that have already been approved by Congress but have not yet been activated. For example, if a $500 million expenditure is approved for an international aid program and the State Department signed a first contract for $200 million, the remaining $300 million is "on track" since it has been authorized but not yet activated. In other words, they are like checks approved but not yet cashed. Therefore, they are subject to being cut.

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