A new wrinkle has emerged in President Donald Trump's legislation to eliminate federal funding for foreign aid and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, narrowly passed in the Senate with only Republican votes earlier this week.
According to CNN, the package, which would codify in appropriations many of the cuts Trump's Department of Government Efficiency has sought to make, is "being held up for now in the House because of unrelated frustration from some Republicans over their leadership’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case, according to sources."
This comes as the package "faces a Friday deadline to pass," the report noted.
During Senate debate, the package came under criticism from some Republicans, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who joined Democrats in opposing the measure, noting that her state relies on public broadcasting funds for stations that monitor natural disasters, like the major earthquake that took place earlier this week.
Meanwhile, the review and then closure of the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case, which has been a huge driver of conspiracy theories for the Republican Party and Trump's own base, blindsided GOP rank and file, many of whom are facing pressure from their own constituents to force the Justice Department to fully release all files on the investigation.