Senate passes $9 billion in spending cuts to public broadcasting, foreign aid requested by Trump - By Kevin Freking and Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press
The Senate has passed about $9 billion in federal spending cuts requested by President Donald Trump, including deep reductions to public broadcasting and foreign aid, moving forward on one of the president's top priorities despite concerns from several Republican senators.
The legislation, which now moves to the House, would have a tiny impact on the nation's rising debt but could have major ramifications for the targeted spending, from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to U.S. food aid programs abroad.
It also could complicate efforts to pass additional spending bills this year, as Democrats and even some Republicans have argued they are ceding congressional spending powers to Trump with little idea of how the White House Office of Management and Budget would apply the cuts.
The 51-48 vote came after 2 a.m. Thursday after Democrats sought to remove many of the proposed rescissions during 12 hours of amendment votes. None of the Democratic amendments were adopted.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Republicans were using the president's rescissions request to target wasteful spending. He said it is a "small but important step for fiscal sanity that we all should be able to agree is long overdue."
But Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, said the bill "has a big problem — nobody really knows what program reductions are in it."
Collins and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joined Democrats in voting against the legislation. Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former Republican leader, had voted against moving forward with the bill in a Tuesday procedural vote, saying he was concerned the Trump White House wanted a "blank check," but he ultimately voted for final passage.
The effort to claw back a sliver of federal spending comes after Republicans also muscled Trump's big tax and spending cut bill to approval without any Democratic support. The Congressional Budget Office has projected that measure will increase future federal deficits by about $3.3 trillion over the coming decade.
Lawmakers clash over cuts to public radio and TV stations
Along with Democrats, Collins and Murkowski both expressed concerns about the cuts to public broadcasting, saying they could affect important rural stations in their states.
Murkowski said in a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday that the stations are "not just your news — it is your tsunami alert, it is your landslide alert, it is your volcano alert."
Less than a day later, as the Senate debated the bill, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the remote Alaska Peninsula, triggering tsunami warnings on local public broadcasting stations that advised people to get to higher ground.
The situation is "a reminder that when we hear people rant about how public broadcasting is nothing more than this radical, liberal effort to pollute people's minds, I think they need to look at what some of the basic services are to communities," Murkowski said.
The legislation would claw back nearly $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which represents the full amount it's due to receive during the next two budget years.
The corporation distributes more than 70% of the money to more than 1,500 locally operated public television and radio stations, with much of the remainder assigned to National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service to support national programming.
Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said he secured a deal from the White House that some funding administered by the Interior Department would be repurposed to subsidize Native American public radio stations in about a dozen states.
But Kate Riley, president and CEO of America's Public Television Stations, a network of locally owned and operated stations, said that deal was "at best a short-term, half-measure that will still result in cuts and reduced service at the stations it purports to save, while leaving behind all other stations, including many that serve Native populations."
Slashing billions of dollars from foreign aid
The legislation would also claw back about $8 billion in foreign aid spending.
Among the cuts are $800 million for a program that provides emergency shelter, water and sanitation and family reunification for those who flee their own countries and $496 million to provide food, water and health care for countries hit by natural disasters and conflicts. There also is a $4.15 billion cut for programs that aim to boost economies and democratic institutions in developing nations.
Democrats argued the Trump administration's animus toward foreign aid programs would hurt America's standing in the world and create a vacuum for China to fill.
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said the amount of money it takes to save a starving child or prevent the transmission of disease is miniscule, even as the investments secure cooperation with the U.S. on other issues. The cuts being made to foreign aid programs through Trump's Department of Government Efficiency were having life-and-death consequences around the world, he said.
"People are dying right now, not in spite of us but because of us," Schatz said. "We are causing death."
After objections from several Republicans, GOP leaders took out a $400 million cut to PEPFAR, a politically popular program to combat HIV/AIDS that is credited with saving millions of lives since its creation under then-President George W. Bush.
Looking ahead to future spending fights
Democrats say the bill upends a legislative process that typically requires lawmakers from both parties to work together to fund the nation's priorities. Triggered by the official recissions request from the White House, the legislation only needs a simple majority vote instead of the 60 votes usually required to break a filibuster, meaning Republicans can use their 53-47 majority to pass it along party lines.
The Trump administration is promising more rescission packages to come if the first effort is successful. But some Republicans who supported the bill indicated they might be wary of doing so again.
"Let's not make a habit of this," said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, who voted for the bill but said he was wary that the White House wasn't providing enough information on what exactly will be cut. Wicker said there are members "who are very concerned, as I am, about this process."
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis echoed similar concerns and said Republicans will need to work with Democrats to keep the government running later in the year.
"The only way to fund the government is to get at least seven Democrats to vote with us at the end of September or we could go into a shutdown," Tillis said.
Republicans face a Friday deadline
Collins attempted to negotiate a last minute change to the package that would have reduced the cuts by about $2.5 billion and restored some of the public broadcasting and global health dollars, but she abandoned the effort after she didn't have enough backing from her Republican colleagues in the Senate and the House.
The House has already shown its support for the president's request with a mostly party line 214-212 vote, but since the Senate amended the bill, it will have to go back to the House for another vote.
The bill must be signed into law by midnight Friday for the proposed rescissions to kick in. If Congress doesn't act by then, the spending stands.
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Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, contributed to this report.
AG calls across party lines to oppose federal K-12 funding freeze on heels of latest suit - Noah Alcala Bach, Albuquerque Journal
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez called for bipartisan upheaval over unreleased funds on the heels of his latest lawsuit against the Trump administration, this one over nearly $7 billion in federal funding frozen nationwide for an array of public school programs.
“I have a D next to my name, and because I have a D next to my name, there are certain folks who are going to say, ‘Well, I’m not going to listen to that,’” Torrez said at a news conference Wednesday. “What I need are people who supported the president, who voted for the president, who do not agree with this, to say, ‘This matters to us; this isn’t what we voted for.’”
Among the programs that could be affected by potential cuts are after-school programs, English language learner programs, immigrant support programs and professional development programs for public school staff.
The state’s Public Education Department estimates that the funding freeze will have an impact of around $40 million, and Torrez’s office forecasts around $45 million, according to respective news releases. The latest lawsuit marks the 21st the AG has joined since Trump took office in January.
“My goal is to do everything I can to protect the families and the working folks in this state, regardless of their party,” Torrez said. “It’s unfortunate that it’s only the Democratic attorneys general who are filing some of these actions, but it’s natural, I think, for people to look through this through a partisan lens.”
The White House’s Office of Management and Budget has not responded to multiple requests for comment from the Journal. Additionally, President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon have not commented publicly on the funding freeze, according to Education Week.
“The Republican Party of New Mexico stands with President Trump in his effort to end reckless federal spending that prioritizes radical agendas over the real needs of American children,” Amy Barela, chair of the Republican Party of New Mexico, said in a statement Wednesday. “This lawsuit from the AG is more about political theater than protecting our kids. The RPNM will always support policies that return power to parents, cut wasteful spending, and focus our limited resources where they belong — on our children’s success, not on federal mandates that dilute accountability and outcomes.”
The New Mexico AG joined the lawsuit over the unreleased funding on Monday, along with over 20 other Democratic-led states that also filed suit. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island, and Torrez, along with the other AGs, will be seeking a preliminary injunction in the short term, hoping that the funding will be available as the litigation process unfolds.
Like many school districts around the country, Santa Fe Public Schools received a day’s notice that federal funding would be withheld, according to Peter McWain, executive director of Curriculum and Instruction for the district.
“Districts had no preliminary notification of this funding freeze; there is negligible time to mitigate the impact to families, to employees and our children,” McWain said, joining the AG for his news conference. “The effects of this funding freeze will impact the core of our community.”
SFPS predicts it will lose out on nearly $2 million as a result of the frozen federal funds.
Bishop’s Lodge sues Tesuque nonprofit, asks judge to ban group’s protests by resort - Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
Residents in Tesuque Village and an area luxury resort are back in New Mexico courts, with both groups saying the other has gone too far in a clash over a sewage permit.
The dispute follows months of back and forth in court as well as administrative processes, which are poised to continue.
Last week, the conflict between the nonprofit Protect Tesuque and Bishop’s Lodge even landed at the New Mexico Supreme Court, where justices sided with Bishop’s Lodge, denied the emergency petition from residents and allowed the permitting process to proceed.
Now, Bishop’s Lodge wants a judge to bar Protect Tesuque members from weekly protests on the road outside the resort. The July 2 civil lawsuit follows a June 13 letter Bishop’s Lodge’s attorneys sent to the nonprofit expressing “concern over the safety of drivers, pedestrians, demonstrators and Bishop Lodge guests,” and warning of additional legal action if the protests continued.
The protests continued.
“Defendants block the State Road 590/Bishop’s Lodge Road — a public road — harass Lodge guests and staff, sound car horns and drums and endanger unsuspecting motorists,” court documents state. “…Defendants escalating protests create such a perilous situation, that the Lodge feels it has no alternative but to seek judicial relief.”
The heart of the dispute centers over the renewal of a wastewater permit for Bishop’s Lodge and nearby housing. The new permit would allow the release of about 30,000 gallons per day of treated wastewater from a new wastewater treatment plant into a new low-dose disposal field using a treatment plant installed in 2024. The current permit allows Bishop’s Lodge to discharge about 14,700 gallons per day into two disposal fields on the property.Dozens of residents in the village of about 1,000 have opposed multiple proposals for sewage disposal by the resort. Recently, they coalesced around claims that the proposed disposal plan would threaten private drinking water wells.
Bishop’s Lodge and the New Mexico Environment Department maintain the treated wastewater quality exceeds state and federal standards.
In its newest complaint, Bishop’s Lodge asks for enforcement of a nearly 1-mile buffer zone, to prevent further obstruction of the road; to bar the nonprofit ‘s members from trespassing, harassing guests and staff; and from further unauthorized recording.
“Flying a drone low over the Lodge to video (among other things) guests in the pool and restaurant and subsequently posting that video online with inflammatory dialogue adds to the harassing atmosphere,” the memo attached to the complaint stated.
Bishop’s Lodge also requests Protect Tesuque pay attorneys fees in the complaint.
“While defendants may assert their activities are protected speech, the First Amendment does not protect harassment,” the complaint states.
The complaint includes testimony from resort staff, and an investigator hired by Bishop’s Lodge, saying that residents protesting — including people on crutches or in a wheelchair — blocked the road and, at one point, crossed into the property. Attached videos and photos were not available in the exhibits list online, according to a review of court documents.
In a statement, Protect Tesuque called the lawsuit a “clear and troubling attempt to intimidate,” the nonprofit and its board, and broadly denied the allegations, saying the protests have been peaceful.
“The accusations in the complaint are not only false, they are defamatory,” the statement said. “Protesters have not blocked roads, trespassed on private property, harassed guests or employees, or engaged in any of the hyperbolic behaviors” described in the complaint, they said.
The group further contends it’s being sued “for standing up for clean water and public health. The individuals named in this complaint have done nothing more than participate in peaceful protests, attend public hearings, and speak out about dangerous disposal practices that threaten Tesuque’s drinking water.”
Laguna Fire in Northern NM 40% contained - Santa Fe New Mexican
A wildfire in Santa Fe National Forest that has burned more than 15,000 acres is now about 40 percent contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The Laguna Fire, named after Laguna Peak, began as a result of a lightning strike on June 25.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports the Forest Service initially chose to manage the fire, but shifted to a full suppression strategy after a blaze jumped out of the containment area last Friday.
Crews are working to contain the fire’s northern perimeter in the foothills overlooking Gallina Canyon.
Elsewhere in New Mexico, in the state’s southwest, firefighters are battling several blazes in the Gila National Forest.
The Turkeyfeather Fire has burned more than 24,000 acres in southern Catron County and is reported about 20 percent contained yesterday.
Heinrich, Lujan announce advancement of bill authorizing food aid, other supports - Jeanette Dedios, KUNM News
New Mexico’s U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján have announced the advancement of a bill that would help provide food assistance and other help for New Mexico communities.
The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Bill has been approved by the Senate’s Appropriations Committee.
It now heads to the full Senate for a floor vote.
If passed, it will provide $27 billion dollars in total funding. That’s an $821 million dollar increase over fiscal year 2024.
The measure authorizes funding for the federal SNAP and WIC programs for women, children, and people in need of food assistance.
Also, $12.5 million dollars of that money would go directly to New Mexico to pay for investments in firefighting equipment and technologies, community infrastructure, and early childhood education facilities.
Sen. Heinrich’s office said that even if this bill passes, it would not reverse the cuts made to SNAP included in President Trump’s budget reconciliation bill.
If approved by the Senate, the bill would then move to the U.S House of Representatives.