As the lengthy and sometimes hostile debate in the previous weeks surrounding President Donald Trump's so-called Big Beautiful Bill seems to be a distant memory, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) is now turning his attention to Trump's rescission package.
A rescission package is a formal request by the President to Congress or vice versa, to reclaim spending that Congress has already approved but not yet spent.
The U.S. Senate approved the package on Thursday with some amendments. It now must go to the U.S. House floor for another vote on the last day of the deadline for the bill to reach the president's desk. The $9 billion in total cuts targets foreign funding and public broadcasting, among other things.
Alabama Public Television (APT) will lose about $3 million annually if a rescissions package is approved by the U.S. Senate next week, according to one APT executive.
On Thursday, after the Senate voted on the package, Tuberville spoke with members of the media, praising the bill for slashing funding to programs he deemed less-than-optimal. Tuberville took a sardonic stance on the package, stating that while it was less than .01% of federal spending, "it's a start."
"There's no reason why one cent of American taxpayer dollars should go to Sesame Street in Iraq, LGBTQ programs in Uganda, sexual reproductive health in Venezuela [and] anti-American propaganda at [National Public Radio]," Tuberville said. "Folks, the last time we had a balanced budget was 2001. Americans expect more from their government, and that's why they delivered an overwhelming mandate on November 5, 2024."
He continued, "It's past time to get our fiscal house in order and balance the budget. It is a national security issue."
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