House Rules Committee adopts closed rule for HR 4, advances rescissions package and technical 'engrossment' changes to reconciliation bill

The House Committee on Rules voted to grant a closed rule for HR 4, the Rescissions Act of 2025, advancing a package that would rescind roughly $9.4 billion in budget authority. The committee approved the motion to report the rule, including an engrossment correction resolution intended to remove items that the Senate parliamentarian had identified as jeopardizing the privileged status of the House reconciliation bill, by a roll-call vote of 8-4.

The vote moves consideration of the rescissions package to the House floor under a closed rule and attaches a short engrossment correction resolution described in committee as technical changes necessary to meet Senate process requirements. Chairwoman Fox opened the hearing saying, "Today, the rules committee is convening to consider a single measure, HR 4, the rescissions act of 2025," framing the meeting as focused on a single, cross-cutting package.

Why it matters: the closed rule clears the path for floor consideration of the rescission list the White House requested and also incorporates a two-page engrossment correction resolution the majority says is required so that the Senate may treat the related reconciliation bill as privileged under Senate rules. Opponents warned that the engrossment corrections effectively function as a revote on significant portions of the reconciliation text and said members should have more time to review the changes.

Majority and minority positions

Supporters, including the witnesses and Republican members who testified or spoke in committee, framed HR 4 as an exercise in fiscal oversight. Representative Aderholt said the rescission package is "an important step toward greater fiscal responsibility and prudent realignment of our spending priorities," and argued the package targets programs the majority views as "waste, fraud, and abuse." Several Republican members also emphasized that the engrossment correction resolves procedural issues flagged by the Senate parliamentarian so the companion reconciliation measure can proceed.

Ranking Member McGovern and other Democrats strongly opposed both the rescissions and the procedural package. McGovern called the rescissions "based on a scam, a con job, a grift," and said the cuts would strip lifesaving programs and harm U.S. national security and global public health. Representative DeLauro warned that the administration's prior impoundments had already disrupted aid, and she cited academic tracking that, she said, attributes thousands of deaths to earlier funding suspensions.

Votes at a glance (committee on Rules)

- Motion to grant HR 4 a closed rule (includes engrossment correction resolution); mover: Rep. Griffith; outcome: approved; roll-call: 8 yes, 4 no. - McGovern amendment to remove the engrossment correction resolution from the rule (would have prevented striking the reconciliation changes from the House side); mover: Rep. McGovern; outcome: failed; roll-call: 4 yes, 8 no. - Johnson amendment to restore $400,000,000 to PEPFAR (struck by HR 4); mover: Rep. Johnson; outcome: failed; roll-call: 4 yes, 8 no. - McGovern amendment to restore funding for U.S. Institute of Peace; mover: Rep. McGovern; outcome: failed; roll-call: 4 yes, 8 no. - Scanlon amendment to strike rescission of funds for Europe/Eurasia/Central Asia (would have protected aid to Ukraine and regional partners); mover: Rep. Scanlon; outcome: failed; roll-call: 4 yes, 8 no. - Menendez amendment to restore Migration and Refugee Assistance; mover: Rep. Menendez; outcome: failed; roll-call: 4 yes, 8 no. - Leger Fernández (Goldman) amendment to restore Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding ($1.1 billion rescinded); mover: Rep. Leger Fernández; outcome: failed; roll-call: 4 yes, 8 no. - Leisure Fernández amendment to restore women-focused economic and peace programs in the Economic Support Fund; mover: Rep. Leisure Fernández; outcome: failed; roll-call: 4 yes, 8 no.

What the engrossment correction resolution does (per majority description)

Committee Republicans said the brief engrossment correction resolution strips or narrows a small set of provisions in the companion reconciliation bill that the Senate parliamentarian identified as extraneous or in conflict with the Senate's Byrd-rule-based review. The majority described the changes as technical and necessary to preserve the reconciliation bill's privileged status in the Senate; the rule text sent to the committee includes a provision that "the provisions of section 1017 of the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 shall not apply" to a bill introduced in response to the president's rescission message of 06/03/2025. Opponents said the resolution is functionally a late-stage rewrite and should have more review time.

Procedure going forward

With the rule adopted in committee, the chair announced the committee will manage floor consideration under the closed rule the next day. Members who objected said voting on the rule is their final chance to alter the reconciliation package's scope before the bill reaches the Senate. Representative McGovern urged colleagues who said they regretted earlier votes to use the floor rule vote to change course.

Sources and evidence

The committee record contains witness testimony and the committee transcript of the hearing. The session included testimony from Representative Aderholt and Congressman/ranking member DeLauro and extended questioning of witnesses and members. The committee accepted and voted on multiple member-proposed amendments described above.

Ending note

By adopting the closed rule and the engrossment correction resolution, the Rules Committee cleared the procedural path for both the rescissions package and the revised reconciliation text to proceed to the House floor. Opponents signaled further floor and procedural fights ahead, and multiple members said they will press their concerns in tomorrow's floor votes and in the Senate process that follows.