U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty was among four Democratic representatives who did not participate in a narrow vote on the fate of funding for NPR and PBS as well as foreign aid already approved by Congress.
Beatty, who represents Columbus and surrounding areas in the U.S. House, was not present for the June 11 vote, which passed 214-212. Four Republicans — including Dayton-area Rep. Michael Turner — joined with all present Democrats in voting against the measure.
According to a statement from Beatty’s office, the representative missed the vote “due to a medical procedure that could not be delayed.” Beatty’s office did not provide additional information about the procedure, saying only that “she is in good health.”
“She strongly opposes Republicans’ rescissions bill and looks forward to returning to the House and continuing to fight for her constituents as soon as her recovery allows,” said Cassandra Johnson, Beatty’s communications director, in the prepared statement.
The absence of Beatty and her Democratic colleagues proved consequential. If they had voted with their party, the proposal would have failed.
On June 3, President Donald Trump asked Congress to claw back $9.4 billion of federal funding to reflect a portion of the cuts made by Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency, USA Today previously reported.
If passed by the Senate, the claw-back package would strip funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS, and from foreign aid agencies such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Health Organization, according to USA today.
In addition to Beatty, Democratic U.S. Reps. Donald Norcross of New Jersey, Emily Randall of Washington and Lou Correa of California, missed the vote, according to congressional records. Republican U.S. Reps. Nicole Malliotakis of New York, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mark Amodei of Nevada, joined Turner in voting against the measure. Two Republicans did not participate in the vote.
Beatty has previously criticized Trump and Musk’s efforts with DOGE to strip funding from USAID, saying in February on X that “it’s a reckless power grab that threatens JOBS and BUSINESSES in Ohio and across the country.”
The rescissions package now goes to the U.S. Senate. Passing it would require only a majority vote in the Senate, unlike most policies, which require a 60-vote threshold to overcome the filibuster.
The proposed $9.4 billion in claw-backs are a sliver of the $175 billion DOGE says it has cut from the federal government. Musk, who departed the administration in late May, initially aimed to cut $2 trillion.
The White House provided justification for each proposed rollback in the formal request sent to Congress, USA Today previously reported. For example, one request to eliminate $500 million from USAID’s budget would strip funding for activities related to child and maternal health, HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.
Dispatch reporter Jordan Laird contributed to this report.
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Why did Rep. Joyce Beatty miss key congressional vote on DOGE cuts?