Senate Bill Report H.R. 4

Senate Bill Report H.R. 4

Passed by Senate: July 17, 2025

Title: Rescissions Act of 2025

Brief Description: A new federal budget law that allows the president to make suggestions to money not yet spent from the federal budget on new ways to spend them.

Sponsors:

Lead Sponsors -  Steve Scalise 

Cosponsors - Tom Cole, Aaron Bean, Pete Sessions, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Blake Moore

Brief History: 

Committee Activity: 

Passed Senate 06/17/25

SENATE BUDGET COMMITTEE

  Majority Report: do pass

Jim Banks, John Barrasso, Marsha Blackburn, John Boozman, Katie Britt, Ted Budd, Shelley Moore Capito, Bill Cassidy, John Cornyn, Tom Cotton, Kevin Cramer, Mike Crapo, Ted Cruz, John Curtis, Steve Daines, Joni Ernst, Deb Fischer, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Grassley, Bill Hagerty, Josh Hawley, John Hoeven, Jon Husted, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Ron Johnson, Jim Justice, John Kennedy, James Lankford, Mike Lee, Cynthia Lummis, Roger Marshall, Mitch McConnell, Dave McCormick, Ashley Moody, Jerry Moran, Bernie Moreno, Markwayne Mullin, Rand Paul, Pete Ricketts, Jim Risch, Mike Rounds, Eric Schmitt, Rick Scott, Tim Scott, Tim Sheehy, Dan Sullivan, John Thune, Thom Tillis, Tommy Tuberville, Roger Wicker, Todd Young

Background: With President Trump coming into office after Biden, and with them being of the opposing parties, Trump came in and wanted to make changes that reflected his party's ideology over the other party. With part of the things that stayed from Biden's administration being the budget, Trump wanted a change in that and encouraged republican senators to propose the bill and have it passed.

The main things Trump said needed to be changed about the budget to propose the bill to be created and passed were to reduce foreign aid spending, cut funding for public broadcasting, replace Biden's unspent budget plans, lower federal spending, and limit climate/environmental funding. With all these reasons to try to improve the executive branch's power over federal funding.

The bill created debate among the public and Congress about an imbalance of power that gave the president the power to change past budget approvals of the past administration. With the actual changes also making debate with critics saying it might weaken the U.S. global influence, limit educational access, and emergency info

Summary of Bill:  The Rescissions Act of 2025 allows the President to propose canceling previously approved but unspent budget funds, with Congress deciding whether to approve the changes or keep the funding. The Trump administration used this authority to alter leftover Biden-era budget priorities, including reducing spending on foreign aid and public broadcasting. The bill sparked debate in Congress and among the public over the power it gives the President to influence federal spending decisions.