EDITORIAL: A modest effort to restore ‘fiscal sanity’

Elon Musk has left the Department of Government Efficiency and is engaged in a very public feud with President Donald Trump. But DOGE carries on and now asks Congress to pass judgment on its work. This is an opportunity for Republicans to show voters they walk the walk while exposing Democrats as budget hypocrites.

On Tuesday, the White House sent a “rescission” package to Capitol Hill, a formal request to claw back $9.4 billion that Congress previously approved, primarily for foreign aid programs and government-run broadcasting. The spending was identified by DOGE as wasteful or unproductive.

The package undermines critics of DOGE who argued that the cost-cutters acted unilaterally. In fact, DOGE and the White House are going through proper channels, asking the House and Senate to grant them the authority to adjust spending priorities. Lawmakers can approve the changes through a simple majority in both chambers.

“This rescission package reflects many of DOGE’s findings and is one of the many legislative tools Republicans are using to restore fiscal sanity,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday. “Congress will continue working closely with the White House to codify these recommendations, and the House will bring the package to the floor as quickly as possible.”

If the package is approved in some form, expect similar efforts in coming months. Mr. Trump’s budget director Russ Vought told the House last week that he’s prepared to seek more cuts. “We are very anxious to see the reception, from a vote standpoint, in the House and the Senate,” Mr. Vought testified. If the current package moves forward, “it’ll be worth the effort and we’ll send up additional packages.”

That’s encouraging.

There will certainly be congressional meddling as the debate advances. Two Republican senators have already questioned decisions to include public broadcasting and certain foreign aid programs in the rescission plan. But the concept of attacking a dangerous culture of spending that has led the country down a perilous path is sound. Serious lawmakers understand that restoring fiscal reason to the national debate will require difficult choices.

Largely united GOP majorities in the House and Senate have an opportunity to send a clear message to Americans about the importance of spending restraint. Particularly when Democrats in both chambers are likely to line up as a bloc to oppose the rescission package. This, as progressives attack Mr. Trump’s “big beautiful bill” for not raising taxes on U.S. workers and failing to spend enough to support a growing dependent class. Democrats who oppose even the modest spending adjustments in this rescission package shouldn’t be taken seriously when they rail about deficits. Where is their bill to cut any government program?

Passing Mr. Trump’s $9.4 billion proposal won’t make a dent in a $37 trillion deficit, it’s true. But it will help build momentum for additional progress when it comes to reversing the nation’s unsustainable fiscal trajectory.