US Lawmakers Approve Elon Musk’s $9 Billion Federal Spending Cuts

In a closely contested vote that marks a significant moment in American fiscal policy, US lawmakers have approved a controversial $9.4 billion rescissions package, implementing spending cuts championed by Elon Musk during his tenure with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This package, requested by President Donald Trump and passed in the Republican-led House of Representatives, represents the first real test of whether Congress will institutionalize Musk’s bold—and divisive—approach to trimming federal expenditures.

The vote, which passed by a razor-thin margin of 214-212, aimed to claw back billions in funds already allocated to various federal programs. These include $8.3 billion from foreign aid, $1.1 billion from public broadcasting (notably the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS), and $400 million from global health initiatives, including the globally acclaimed PEPFAR AIDS program.

House Speaker Mike Johnson hailed the passage of the bill, stating, “Under President Trump’s leadership, your taxpayer dollars are no longer being wasted. Instead, they are being directed toward priorities that truly benefit the American people.” The move aligns with the broader agenda Trump and Musk had originally envisioned—slashing federal outlays in favor of what they argue are “America First” priorities.

This legislative action comes just days after Musk’s abrupt and highly publicized departure from his federal post. Appointed by Trump to lead DOGE after contributing nearly $290 million to the president’s re-election campaign, Musk initially pledged to cut $2 trillion in federal spending. However, he exited the role amid growing tensions with Trump over the direction of the cuts and what some described as irreconcilable differences over long-term fiscal planning.

DOGE has claimed it saved $180 billion during Musk’s tenure, but fact-checkers and watchdog groups have raised concerns about the transparency and accuracy of these figures. Critics argue that many of the claimed “savings” were either inflated or misrepresented, casting doubt on the overall effectiveness of Musk’s reforms.

Among the most contentious elements of the rescissions package is the defunding of public broadcasting. The $1.1 billion cut will severely impact NPR, PBS, and over 1,500 local radio and TV stations that rely on federal assistance. Conservatives have long accused these organizations of ideological bias, and Trump recently signed an executive order terminating federal funding for both networks. “NPR and PBS are a Radical Left Disaster, and 1000% against the Republican Party!” Trump posted on Truth Social as the House voted.

While Trump and his allies celebrate this as a long-overdue victory, others see the move as ideologically motivated and damaging. Democrat Dan Goldman and Republican Mark Amodei, who co-chair the bipartisan public broadcasting caucus, criticized the decision, stating it “will not meaningfully reduce the deficit but will dismantle a trusted source of information for millions of Americans.”

Equally controversial is the decision to strip $400 million from global health programs, especially PEPFAR—a program once hailed for saving millions of lives in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Initiated under President George W. Bush, PEPFAR has enjoyed bipartisan support for nearly two decades. The cuts have drawn criticism from public health experts and humanitarian groups, who argue that they undermine America’s global leadership and moral responsibility.

The largest single cut in the package—$8.3 billion—comes from foreign aid, particularly funds allocated to USAID. Musk’s DOGE frequently targeted the agency as emblematic of what he described as “wasteful international spending,” though opponents argue that such programs are vital to diplomatic stability and economic development abroad.

Despite the fierce debate, the bill now heads to the Senate, where Republicans hold a slim majority. In a notable procedural advantage, the rescissions package only needs a simple majority—51 votes—to pass, bypassing the usual 60-vote threshold required to overcome filibusters. This makes the package's success in the Senate a strong possibility, despite opposition from centrist Democrats and even some moderate Republicans.

The larger question looming over this development is whether this vote signals the beginning of a systematic overhaul of federal spending based on the Musk-Trump blueprint. Speaker Johnson has suggested that more such packages are in the pipeline, potentially reshaping the financial architecture of the US government.

As the dust settles, one thing is clear: Elon Musk’s impact on American governance didn’t end with his resignation. The approval of these cuts underscores how deeply his fiscal ideology has permeated Republican policy and could signal the beginning of a new era of government austerity, even as debate rages over its cost to public services and international credibility.