If it feels like we were just having this conversation...it's because we pretty much were. Just two weeks ago, we gritted our teeth through the marathon slog of a House vote (and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' (D-NY) endless "magic minute") on the reconciliation bill (also known as the "One Big Beautiful Bill" or "OBBB").
It might have been kicking and screaming, but the House GOP dragged OBBB across the finish line, just in time for President Donald Trump to sign it on the 4th of July.
RELATED: BREAKING: House Delivers Big, Beautiful Victory for Trump, America
And now, they've managed it with the $9 billion rescissions/DOGE cuts package as well. After multiple Rules Committee machinations, the House began an "hour" of debate on the measure shortly after 10:00 PM Eastern Thursday night. With a 216 to 213 vote, the measure finally passed at around 12:06 AM Eastern. (Brian Fitzpatrick (PA) and Mike Turner (OH) were the two Republican no votes on the measure.)
This vote follows initial passage in the House in mid-June, followed by the Senate's tussle with it earlier this week. That led to some (relatively) minor tweaks that nudged the clawback down from $9.4 billion to $9 billion.
Still, $9 billion's not nothing.
READ MORE: Winning: House Passes Rescissions Bill With Massive Spending Cuts, Package Moves to Senate
As streiff noted upon the Senate's passage, this is the first time a rescissions package has successfully made its way through Congress in over a quarter of a century:
This marks the first time the rescission process has been used to cut spending since 1999. President Trump attempted to cut $15 billion in 2018, but the bill failed to clear the Senate. Since the process was introduced in the Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, presidents have submitted 1,178 rescission requests totaling $76 billion; 461 of those requests, comprising $25 billion, survived contact with Congress.
So, it's a win, even if it's a small-ish one. Of course, even those modest cuts (roughly $8 billion in foreign aid spending and $1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting) have the left howling over the injustice of it all. See, e.g., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY):
Schumer on Budget Director Vought: He wants to destroy, destroy the way the Congress works, destroy balance of power, end our entire Constitution. Russell Vought doesn't believe in this democracy. He wants to impose his right-wing views on America almost unilaterally. He said he…
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) July 17, 2025
Now that it's passed the House, President Trump will take his Sharpie to the measure and sign it into law.
And after that? Appropriations. Our Managing Editor, Jennifer Van Laar, has a great explainer:
After the Big, Beautiful Bill and the rescissions package pass, Congress will turn its attention to the annual appropriations bill, which is where huge spending cuts can occur. And since the debt ceiling and a number of other contentious issues (like the tax cuts and funding for deportations and the border wall) will be off the table, it'll be harder for Senate Democrats to hold anything hostage, and more spending cuts can occur.
Yes, it's a slog. But things are moving in the right direction.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and bold policies, America’s economy is back on track.
Help us continue to report on the president’s economic successes and combat the lies of the Democrats. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member