Federal Rescissions Cut $9.4 Billion from International Aid Programs

Federal Rescissions Cut $9.4 Billion from International Aid Programs

Bread and Circus: The Complete Record of American Governance

What Happened Yesterday:

• 🦅 Executive Branch: 3 documents (2 Executive Orders, 1 Proposed Rule)
• 🏛️ Legislative Branch: 5 documents (3 Congressional Bills, 1 Congressional Record - Daily Digest, 1 Congressional Record - Senate Section)
• ⚖️ Judicial Branch: No activity
• 📊 Economic Indicators: No activity
• Total words condensed: 202,223 into 4,670

The Big Picture

Pattern to Watch

🦅 Executive Branch

White House

• On July 24, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order aimed at protecting and supporting college sports in the United States. The order directs government officials to create rules and plans to stop big payments from outside groups to college athletes that are not for real endorsements, and to make sure schools with over $125 million or $50 million in sports revenue keep or increase scholarships and team spots for women’s and less popular sports starting in the 2025-2026 season. It also asks labor and legal agencies to clarify whether college athletes are employees and to defend college sports from lawsuits that challenge current rules. The order says these steps are needed because, according to the White House, recent court decisions and state laws have led to a chaotic system where some players get very large payments, which could hurt smaller sports and fairness in college athletics. This affects colleges, athletes, sports programs, and state governments, and aims to keep college sports focused on education and opportunity rather than becoming like professional sports.  Read full document →
• On July 24, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order aimed at reducing crime and disorder in U.S. cities by focusing on homelessness and mental illness. The order directs federal agencies like the Justice Department and Health and Human Services to support states and cities in using civil commitment—meaning legally requiring people with serious mental illness or drug addiction who live on the streets to enter treatment facilities. It also encourages stricter enforcement of laws against public drug use, camping, and loitering, and pushes for cutting federal funds to programs that do not prioritize treatment or public safety, including some “housing first” approaches. The order affects homeless individuals, especially those with mental health or substance problems, as well as state and local governments that receive federal grants. It matters because it shifts federal policy toward more forced treatment and law enforcement actions, aiming to restore public order but raising questions about civil rights and the effectiveness of such approaches.  Read full document →

Federal Register

• The government decided to stop working on a rule that would have required big trucks weighing more than 26,000 pounds to have devices that limit how fast they can go. This rule was first suggested in 2016 and updated in 2022, but on July 24, 2025, the agencies in charge officially withdrew it, so it will not become law. The rule would have made truck companies keep these speed limiters set for the life of the truck. They stopped the rule because they found many questions about whether it would really make roads safer, how much it would cost, and if it might cause other problems like more traffic or slower deliveries. This matters to everyday people because it affects how fast big trucks can drive on highways, which can impact road safety, delivery times, and the cost of goods.  Read full document →

🏛️ Legislative Branch

Congressional Record

• On July 24, 2025, the Senate worked on many important tasks. They introduced 43 new bills and 5 resolutions, and they approved two big spending bills to fund the Interior Department and the Transportation and Housing Departments for 2026 (bills S.2431 and S.2465). The Senate also voted to confirm several important government officials, including Matthew Lohmeier as Under Secretary of the Air Force (52-46 vote) and Richard Topping as Chief Financial Officer for Veterans Affairs (51-47 vote). They used a special rule called cloture to limit debate and move forward on several nominations, with more votes planned for July 28. Meanwhile, committees reviewed and approved bills to improve safety and background checks, and held hearings on worker ownership and national security. The House did not meet that day but planned a short session the next day. These actions matter because they fund key government programs, fill important leadership roles, and work on laws that affect public safety and workers’ rights.  Read full document →
• Random excerpts from the Senate

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, today marks the first day of the House embarking on their Epstein recess,'' and already the story Republicans hoped would quietly fade is growing louder by the hour. Just yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice informed President Trump back in May that his name appears multiple times in the Epstein files. Let me remind my colleagues, only last week Donald Trump told a reporter that Attorney General Bondi never told him his name was in those files. Now we know that this was a lie, plain and simple, a red-faced lie. And this revelation raises not just serious questions about President Trump but about Attorney General Bondi herself. Bondi has proven to do all of Trump's bidding. No matter what way you slice it, Attorney General Bondi lied to the American people. She told us we would see the report. She told us it is on her desk. Then we are told there is no report. So you can understand the deep skepticism Americans have when they hear that today, Bondi's personal prosecutors--yes, the very ones under her direction--are preparing to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's longtime accomplice, behind closed doors in Florida. Let me repeat: Under no circumstances should anyone from Donald Trump's Department of Justice be allowed to privately interview Ghislaine Maxwell. The conflict of interest just stares you in the face, and it is unacceptable. If you have been following this saga, and given how the White House and Speaker Johnson have so mishandled it--and who hasn't been following it--you know exactly why this moment is so dangerous. There is every reason to fear that Donald Trump could offer Ghislaine Maxwell a pardon in exchange for silence or, even worse, phony exoneration. Let me be clear, Trump is sending his personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, to try to execute a corrupt coverup, potentially offering leniency to a woman who also abused the victims. Enough. Enough. Enough with the hiding; enough with the excuses; and enough with the coverup. The American people deserve transparency. They deserve answers. And there are massive questions here, not just for the President but for the Vice President, the Attorney General, the FBI Director, and Republican leaders in Congress. What is in the files? When did they learn about it? And how long have they been misleading the American people? So, today, on the heels of Speaker Johnson fleeing town to avoid accountability and following this damning report from the Wall Street Journal, I am calling on the administration to provide a closed-door briefing to all Senators on the Epstein files. The Senate deserves to hear directly from senior administration officials about Donald Trump's name appearing in these files and the complete lack of transparency shown to date. Let me say it again. Donald Trump can't play ignorant anymore. He was caught red-handed in a lie, as were his lackeys. He reportedly knew for months that his name was in the Epstein files. He lied about it to the press, and now the truth is coming out. Over the past few weeks, Trump has tried to change the subject--throwing out wild accusations, attacking his critics, and calling the files a hoax run by Democrats. He has blamed foolish’’ and stupid'' Republicans for taking it seriously. He even scolded the American people for caring too much. Well, we now all know why he was so desperate to make it all disappear--because whenever Donald Trump points a finger, it is because he knows he is guilty of what he is accusing everyone else of. That is his MO. When he does something, when he knows he has done something wrong, instead of admitting it, instead of trying to make amends, he points the finger at someone else and accuses them of the very thing he has done. That is how he has lived his whole life. That is how he has conducted his Presidency. As I said, it is his MO. Let us not forget, Donald Trump campaigned, just several months back, on releasing the Epstein files. Donald Trump is the only President or politician to ever campaign on releasing the Epstein files. And now, very simply, Americans are demanding he honor it. A good number of people voted for Trump because he promised to be their voice against the so-called deep state. But now they have seen he is very much a part of that deep state. He is right in the middle of it. People believed he would drain the swamp; now he is right in the middle of the swamp. And that is why Americans across the political spectrum--right, center, left, Democrats, Republican, Independents--Americans across the political spectrum are angry with Donald Trump because they now are seeing his promise to drain the swamp was total fiction. He is in the middle of it. He is adding to it. Trump promised transparency. He told his supporters he would expose the truth. He has done the opposite. He has smothered it more than ever before. And meanwhile, House Republicans had the chance to show courage, to do the right thing and act, but, instead, Speaker Johnson ran for the exits, sending everyone home early and triggering what we now call the Epstein recess.‘’ But I would say to Speaker Johnson, I would say to Donald Trump and his minions, I would say to all of my Republican colleagues in the Senate: This issue isn’t going away. It is only getting bigger and more dangerous the longer Republicans ignore it. Instead of focusing on appropriations or national priorities like transparency for Americans or funding the government, Speaker Johnson and House Republicans will be left cleaning up this mess, a mess of their own making. Republicans cannot escape the issue--not next week, not next month, not until the American people get answers and the transparency they were promised.

  — Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)

  Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. President, I am honored to be here on the Senate floor for the first time. Each time I enter the Senate Chamber, I am humbled to walk in the footsteps of the Pennsylvanians who came before me, from founding father Robert Morris to Simon Cameron, from Joseph Clark to John Heinz. It was the namesake of the Commonwealth, William Penn, who said: Patience and diligence, like faith, remove mountains. In my short time here in the Senate, I have found these words to be of comfort. At this moment, our circumstances and fellow countrymen require us to remove mountains and to do so with great haste. I would also not be here today without the patience, love, and example of my parents Jim and Maryan. I am also so grateful for the love and encouragement and belief in me by my incredible wife Dina, who is in the Gallery today. She believed in me when few others did. Finally, Dina and I are both so grateful for the love and support of our amazing six daughters through two hard-fought campaigns. I chose to rise today for the first time because something miraculous happened last week in Pittsburgh, the city that Dina and I are proud to call our home. In the middle of the so-called rust belt, President Trump, members of the Cabinet, the CEOs of the world’s leading energy, technology, and investment companies, labor leaders, and political leaders from both parties came together at Carnegie Mellon University to commit over $90 billion in new investments--investments that affirm Pennsylvania’s central role at the crossroads of America’s energy and AI revolutions. These projects announced at the inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit will bring enormous benefits to communities across our great Commonwealth: new data centers and powerplants in Northeastern Pennsylvania, data centers and hydroelectric power in York and Lancaster Counties, new natural gas power capacity and production in Western Pennsylvania, and plans by Pittsburgh’s iconic Westinghouse to begin constructing 10 large nuclear reactors by 2030. For Pennsylvania workers, this will result in tens of thousands of jobs for skilled labor, including electricians and welders, steamfitters, machinists, and countless other trades, and many, many more indirect jobs supporting these projects will come to Pennsylvania’s communities. Perhaps most important, the significant media focus on the summit allowed Pennsylvania to tell its unique and compelling story to the world. Last year, President Trump and I promised to make America energy dominant and to secure our Nation’s AI leadership and to create jobs and opportunity for working families in Pennsylvania and across America during our campaigns. Last Tuesday, it was clear to all that we were delivering on all those promises. These investments come at a defining moment not only for Pennsylvania but also for the future of our great Nation. Embracing the AI revolution and achieving energy dominance will require us to do something very special: once again build in the United States. In this process, we can revitalize the American dream for all Pennsylvanians and for all Americans by training and deploying workers across our economy, from the trades, to engineers, to our very finest scientists. The stakes could not be higher. If the United States does not rise to this challenge, we risk putting our future in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party, which seeks to dominate industries and technologies that will define the 21st century. This is a competition we must win, and it is a moment that demands leadership, sound policies, and, yes, bipartisanship--bipartisan cooperation to ensure our Nation’s prosperity. That is what this summit in Pittsburgh was all about--bringing the President and his team together with many leaders who can seize this moment, who can chart a course forward to build the infrastructure, the talent, and the technology required to lead America’s next chapter of growth and opportunity. I will come back to the significance of the summit in a few minutes, but let me step back for a moment and describe the journey that has brought me here today. I am a seventh-generation Pennsylvanian from Washington County. I grew up in a small town called Bloomsburg--the majority leader visited--in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I spent my Friday nights on the wrestling mat in high school gyms from Shikellamy to Shickshinny, from Selinsgrove to Schuylkill Haven. I spent my summers baling hay and trimming Christmas trees with my high school buddies. Many of them are still close friends today. This upbringing, like for so many generations of Pennsylvanians, taught me the timeless lessons of toughness, hard work, and resilience. My senior year in high school, I was nominated to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point--the first kid from Bloomsburg to attend the Academy in decades. There, I learned the three words that General MacArthur called the rallying points for every cadet: duty, honor, country.'' Three years after graduating, I saw those words put into action when I deployed with the 82nd Airborne Division to Saudi Arabia and later Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. Following the Army, I joined and eventually led a successful technology company in Pittsburgh. I served in several senior positions in the government at the intersection of national security and our economy. And I led, as CEO, one of the world's great global investment firms. But nothing--nothing--I have done in my life compares to the honor of serving as the 54th elected Senator from the Keystone State. I am also proud, following the great Senator from Rhode Island, to be the ninth Senator in American history who is a graduate of West Point. I decided to enter the political arena because America is a superpower in peril. I gave up a successful business career because I could see that despite the strength and the spirit of the American people, our future is threatened by a cycle of stagnation and disillusionment and decline. The American dream is out of reach for far too many families in Pennsylvania. And the Chinese Communist Party is actively subverting America's economic and military power. Breaking this cycle and focusing on the renewal of our Nation is the only way forward, and I felt a calling to try to do my part in fulfilling this mission. During his campaign, President Trump uniquely grasped this challenge. He saw the struggling communities next to the shuttered steel mills along the Monongahela Valley on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, and he understood the devastation in small towns like Bloomsburg, where I grew up, 50 miles from Scranton. The Magee Carpet Mill once employed more than 2,000 workers, including the parents of many of my high school classmates, and is now occupied by a mere 200. Like the President, our fellow citizens saw thousands of brave men and women who fought for two decades in the endless wars in the Middle East. Too many--too many--returned home with broken bodies or troubled minds, like Michael Wargo of Lehighton, the son of Dina's and my dear friends Michael and Sally. They lost Michael to suicide years after he returned from a tour in Afghanistan. I share their heartbreak--and I know many of you do, too--and disbelief that 18 veterans a day still take their own lives, every single day. Finally, we all saw the wide-open southern border bringing millions of illegal immigrants into our towns and cities and violent crime and deadly fentanyl into our communities. More than 4,000 Pennsylvanians lose a loved one every year to a fentanyl overdose. One of those families is that of my good friend Blair County Sheriff Jim Ott, who lost his 33-year-old son Josh to the scourge of fentanyl. Last year, I heard these concerns over and over and over again from my fellow Pennsylvanians in hundreds of campaign stops I made across the Commonwealth. And in November, the people spoke. Pennsylvania voters gave President Trump and me a mandate for change. They wanted a dramatic turnaround from 4 years of open border policies, soaring prices caused by reckless spending, and weak leadership on the world's stage that emboldened China, Russia, and Iran. After only 6 months, the results speak for themselves. President Trump, with the support of this Congress, has made enormous progress. Illegal border crossings are at a record low, with more resources on the way. The One Big Beautiful Bill just delivered and made permanent the largest tax cut in history for working families. And the U.S. economic indicators across the board are getting better by the day. We are making America safer. We are rebuilding our military. President Trump ordered a flawless attack on Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities so the mullahs can never wield a nuclear weapon. And we are working together to end the Russia-Ukraine war while preserving Ukraine as a free and independent country. As a Senator, my job is to deliver for the people of Pennsylvania whether they voted for me or not. We are going to have some tough fights in this Chamber. This year, we already have had many. But when I look back on my time serving the people of Pennsylvania, I want to be able to tell my children and my grandchildren that I worked with anyone, regardless of their party, who shares the goal of delivering results and much needed change for Pennsylvania and our Nation. That is why I appreciate my collaboration with my colleague and friend Pennsylvania senior Senator John Fetterman. Despite our differences, we found a way to work together on critical issues, such as fighting anti-Semitism at home and abroad. In the months and years ahead, I hope to serve my constituents not only inside this Chamber through legislation, hearings, and votes but also outside this Chamber by using my platform, my voice, and my leadership to bring about meaningful change. That is why I began today by talking about the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit. Our vision for the event came from a realization that Pennsylvania sits at the crossroads of America's energy and AI revolutions. Yet the key political, business, and labor leaders had never actually been brought together in one place to make things happen. I highlight this summit not because it is the answer to all the problems we face but because it exemplifies the key ingredients that I believe we need as a country at this unique moment. This moment demands bold, innovative leadership across the political spectrum to build coalitions--unique coalitions--required to tackle these challenges. This moment--this moment--demands a willingness to discard conventional wisdom to improve the lives of our fellow countrymen. This moment demands embracing partnerships between our Nation's public institutions and the private sector, where much of the innovation that is required is taking place. This moment--this moment--demands urgency, moving at the speed that is necessary to overcome the obstacles facing working families each and every day that we all hear about when we are home in our States. I have the privilege, the true privilege, of representing the birthplace of our Nation during its 250th year, but the Keystone State's special place in American history extends far beyond our Nation's birth. In the summer of 1787, Philadelphia gave our young Nation new life at the Constitutional Convention. As Benjamin Franklin emerged from the convention, he famously said that the United States would be a Republic, if [we] can keep it.‘’ More than 100 miles to the west at Gettysburg, almost 100 years later, the Civil War put Franklin’s warning to the test. On that hallowed ground, Abraham Lincoln told his audience to be dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that task, of course, being the preservation of our Union. Our Nation’s history and Pennsylvania’s history are full of such significant milestones, and today we face another make-or-break moment for America’s future. I have seen our country at its best, as many of you have, from the brave men with whom I served in Iraq to the shopkeepers and the storekeepers along the streets of vibrant, small Pennsylvania towns, to the farmers whose plowed fields dot our Commonwealth’s beautiful landscape, beautiful countryside. I have witnessed firsthand our uniquely American ability to get to the edge of the cliff and to pull ourselves back in times and moments of national peril. We can do it again. A bright future can and should be ours, but it depends on what we do next. We must confront the difficult task ahead, while staying true to the values and ideals that have made America the last best hope of man on Earth. And what I can say with certainty today, Mr. President, standing in this esteemed Chamber with so many friends, is that this Senator and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania can be counted on to do our part. I yield the floor. (Applause, Senators rising.)

  — Sen. David McCormick (R-PA)
  Read full document →

Congressional Bills

• This bill, called the Rescissions Act of 2025, was signed into law on July 24, 2025. It cancels about $9.4 billion in money that was set aside but not yet spent by the U.S. government for things like helping other countries, supporting global health programs, aiding refugees, and funding public broadcasting. The money comes from different government departments like the State Department and USAID, and also from groups that work on peace and development around the world. This law affects those programs by reducing their available funds, which means less money for international aid and some public services. It matters to everyday people because it changes how the U.S. government spends money on helping others and on public media, which can impact global relations and the information people receive at home.  Read full document →
• This bill officially changes the name of the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in Texas to the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge. It became law after being introduced by Senator John Cornyn on May 5, 2025, and was signed by President Donald J. Trump on July 24, 2025. The change affects the refuge itself and all official documents or maps that mention it, which will now use the new name. This matters because it honors Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl from Houston who was tragically killed in 2024, and it helps keep her memory alive in a place she loved near her hometown.  Read full document →
• This new law, called the Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act, lets the IRS give people more time to file and pay their federal taxes if their state has a big natural disaster like a hurricane, flood, or fire. Before, this extra time was only for disasters declared by the federal government, but now state leaders like governors can ask for this help too. The law also doubles the extra time from 60 days to 120 days for people hurt by disasters or who live or work in disaster areas. This law was introduced in January 2025 and was signed by the President on July 24, 2025, so it is now official. It helps everyday people and businesses in places like Puerto Rico, Guam, and other U.S. territories, giving them more time to handle taxes when disasters disrupt their lives. This matters because it reduces stress and financial pressure during tough times caused by natural disasters.  Read full document →

⚖️ Judicial Branch

📊 Economic Indicators

Sources Covered Today

• White House: Saving College Sports
• White House: Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets
• Federal Register: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations; Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation; Speed Limiting Devices; Withdrawal
• Congressional Record: Congressional Record - July 24, 2025 - Daily Digest (Vol. 171, No. 127)
• Congressional Record: Congressional Record - July 24, 2025 - Senate Section (Vol. 171, No. 127)
• Congressional Bill: HR 4: Rescissions Act of 2025
• Congressional Bill: S 1596: Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge Act
• Congressional Bill: HR 517: Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act

• Presidential actions issued: 2
• Regulations: 1
• Bills presented to president: 3
• Bills that became law: 0
• Supreme Court opinions issued: 0
• Supreme Court oral arguments: 0