Congressional week is set to be significant and controversial, with fireworks extending beyond the traditional Fourth of July celebrations.
The newly appointed Office of Personnel Management director, Scott Cooper, faces pressure to bring about cuts in the federal workforce, following the enactment of a controversial $9.4 billion rescission package. Signed into law by President Trump in late July 2025, the bill aims to cancel billions in previously approved federal spending.
The legislation, passed with a 51–48 vote in the Senate and a narrow 216–213 margin in the House, has generated debate and concern among various political factions. The bill cuts $7.9 billion from foreign aid and $1.1 billion from public broadcasting, including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, threatening the operation of around 1,500 public media outlets.
The House amended the bill to protect funding for PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), reducing cuts from $9.4 billion to $9 billion. This move followed President Trump's signature, marking the first successful rescissions package attempt in 25 years.
Moderate Republicans express concern about the cutbacks that originated with the Department of Government Efficiency, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer indicates that the package could lead to a government shutdown several months from now.
The appropriations bills are under consideration, with discussions centring around the FBI headquarters. Sen. Van Hollen of Maryland has put up an amendment that the funding for the Justice Department and Commerce will not be approved until the money is allocated to Greenbelt, Maryland for the FBI headquarters.
Sen. Van Hollen's amendment has caused a kerfuffle, reversing the Senate Appropriations Committee's approval of the overall bill and its amendments. The Commerce, Justice, Science, and related agencies funding bill is usually amicable to get through, but this time, a compromise is needed between the Senate and the Maryland delegation to move ahead.
Democrats are expected to hold firm against the rescission package due to their own anger and public frustration. Meanwhile, the AFGE union has gotten involved, looking at their options to fight the administrative leave decision imposed on EPA employees who did not agree with the administration's policies.
The current situation does not bode well for the overall appropriations process as it moves into the fall. The Senate has until Friday to pass the rescission package, and President Trump has threatened to not endorse the next election of any Senator who does not vote for it.
Several Republicans, including Maine's Susan Collins, Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, and South Dakota's Mike Rounds, are on the fence about the rescission package. Maryland and Virginia lawmakers have gotten involved to fight this, viewing it as a federal worker loyalty test issue.
Don Beyer suggested making the 139 EPA employees who signed a letter of dissent against the administration's policies a political cause célèbre to keep the issue in the court of public opinion. The rescission package requires a majority of Republicans in the Senate to pass, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune can only afford to lose three Republicans.
As the federal workforce braces for potential cuts, the future of the appropriations process remains uncertain, with the possibility of a government shutdown looming on the horizon.
- The federal workforce, particularly those employed in government efficiency departments, are anxious about potential cuts due to the political debate surrounding the $9.4 billion rescission package, which has sparked concerns among moderate Republicans and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
- In the realm of general-news, the federal workforce and politics are intertwined as the AFGE union, Democrats, and some Republican senators like Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Mike Rounds, grapple with the implications of the proposed rescission package, which threatens a government shutdown if not passed by the Senate by Friday.
