When Congress surrenders its power of the purse, it surrenders the foundation of our constitutional democracy. The 2025 rescissions package—crafted by Trump-aligned operatives like Russ Vought—is not simply a budget maneuver. It’s a power grab, one that hands the executive branch the keys to the Treasury and sidelines Congress’s core responsibility: deciding how our nation spends its money.
Senators from both parties have raised alarm bells. They’re right to. Approving this package would set a dangerous precedent, opening the door for future administrations—Republican or Democrat—to slash funding at will, nullifying bipartisan agreements and undermining any stable appropriations process. If this gambit succeeds, Vought has vowed to make it the norm.
The stakes are especially high for rural America. Among the programs on the chopping block is federal support for public broadcasting—home to the Emergency Alert System in countless rural and tribal communities. When wildfires break out, when floods sweep through towns, when storms knock out cell towers—these stations are often the only lifeline. Nearly 70% of Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding goes to local stations. For many, it’s the only funding they get.
Senator Mike Rounds warned that without this support, tribal radio stations would not survive. These aren’t culture wars—they’re life-or-death issues of emergency communications and community resilience.
PEPFAR is another casualty. Once a crowning bipartisan achievement under President George W. Bush, it has saved over 26 million lives and prevented millions of infant HIV infections across the globe. Gutting it now doesn’t just kill a legacy—it cedes American influence on the global stage. China is already filling the void in dozens of countries, leveraging health diplomacy to build power where the U.S. retreats. This is not fiscal discipline. It’s geopolitical negligence.
If the Senate allows this package through, it will poison the well of future bipartisan cooperation on appropriations. Why negotiate in good faith if the outcome can be overturned months later through executive-aligned rescissions?
Finally, the pressure tactics being used by Donald Trump—threats of withheld endorsements, primary challenges, public attacks—do not belong in a constitutional republic. Senators swore an oath to the Constitution, not to one man.
This is not just a vote on numbers. It’s a vote on whether Congress remains a co-equal branch of government. Reject the rescissions package. Protect the power of the purse. Safeguard public safety and global leadership. And send a clear message: constitutional checks and balances are not up for sale.
First sent on July 15 by Jennifer
