Statement on Senate Passage of Rescissions Package

WASHINGTON, D.C. – InterAction released the following statement on the Senate’s passing of the administration’s rescissions request.

“InterAction is disappointed that the Senate passed the Trump administration’s rescissions package that cuts nearly $8.0 billion for foreign assistance.

“The administration and their allies in Congress incorrectly presented these rescinded funds as cutting back on waste, fraud, and abuse, codifying previous grant and contract terminations by DOGE. Instead, the vast majority of money targeted by the package comes from Fiscal Year 2025 and was appropriated by this Congress and President only a few months ago.

“We are pleased to see that cuts to PEPFAR were eliminated from the bill, thanks to the efforts of Senator Collins and others who raised concerns with taking funding from one of the most successful programs ever created by the United States. We appreciate the efforts of many Senators to restore other life-saving programs, including Senator Coons for his amendment to protect life-saving humanitarian assistance. While other carve outs in the bill protect some additional programs, without any funding restored to support them, vulnerable families around the world will be directly affected and deprived of assistance in their time of greatest need.

“Instead of holding an honest reform conversation, foreign aid has been callously smeared over the last six months by critics citing colorful examples which are a complete mischaracterization of America’s global humanitarian, health, and development programs. At a recent Senate hearing, OMB Director Russell Vought made a splash citing a USAID program that supposedly trained Russian doctors on how to conduct abortions. The words “Russia” and “abortion” were indeed in the program description. But what Director Vought failed to tell senators was that the program actually taught Russian doctors how to decrease abortion rates in their country—and that program ended in 2011.

“Critics of foreign aid paint a picture of wasteful programs advancing agendas that contradict American values. Here’s what’s really happening on the ground: American-funded organizations are providing newborn health services to mothers who would otherwise watch their babies die. They’re screening malnourished children and getting them the treatment that saves their lives. They’re preventing diseases that would otherwise devastate entire communities.

“For millions of people, U.S. assistance represents a lifeline. When the world faces its darkest moments—when children are starving, when communities and countries face crisis—there’s one country that has consistently stood up first: the United States of America. When earthquakes hit, when famines strike, when epidemics spread—the first question isn’t whether America will respond, but how quickly we can get there.

“The choice before the Senate wasn’t between perfect aid and no aid; it was between America saving lives or leaving people of the world behind. Rather than making Americans more secure, these cuts create a less stable and prosperous world. By cutting programs both the Secretary of State and President Trump have expressed support for, this rescissions package sets their agenda back.”

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InterAction unites and amplifies the voices of America’s leading humanitarian and development organizations committed to creating a safer, more prosperous world. Its members deliver lifesaving aid, protect vulnerable families, and advance human dignity around the globe.

For press inquiries, please contact Mitch McQuate at mmcquate@interaction.org or (202) 403-7253.