A package of spending cuts, requested by President Donald Trump, has passed through the Senate and will now be sent to the House for voting. This bill proposes cutting $9 billion in funding that was previously approved for foreign aid and public broadcasting.
All Senate Democrats present voted against this package, with two Republicans joining them – Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Through a rare voting process, Republicans were able to bypass the 60-vote threshold and seek a simple majority. The bill will now be sent to the House of Representatives, where it will need to be passed before Trump can sign it into law.
Of the total amount, $1.1 billion would be cut from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds PBS and NPR. This has caused objections from Democrats and Republicans alike, with concerns that cutting the funding could undermine public journalism’s independence and accessibility. Republicans noted that citizens in rural areas rely on these stations for essential issues – such as emergency alerts.
Trump has previously criticized both PBS and NPR for being biased news stations, and this bill, if passed as expected, will eliminate funding for the first time since 1967. It is likely that both organizations will be forced into major changes if approved.
PBS CEO, Paula Kerger, said that “these cuts will significantly impact all of our stations, but will be especially devastating to smaller stations and those serving large rural areas.”
In another statement after the vote NPR CEO, Katherine Maher, said: “We call on the House of Representatives to reject this elimination of public media funding, which directly harms their communities and constituents, and could very well place lives at risk.”
