H.R. 4, the “Rescissions Act of 2025,” would rescind $9.4 billion in funding previously appropriated by Congress for fiscal 2025, including $8.3 billion in foreign aid and $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The foreign-aid rescissions include $800 million for migration and refugee assistance, $361 million for international peacekeeping operations, and $169 million for international organizations such as the United Nations and World Health Organization.
The House passed H.R. 4 on June 12, 2025 by a vote of 214 to 212 (Roll Call 168). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution authorizes Congress to neither establish or fund public media nor send financial aid to foreign countries. Although $9.4 billion is a small number compared to the total amount of federal expenditures, it is a good first step toward reining in unconstitutional, reckless spending.
