House approves Trump’s request to cut funding for NPR, PBS and foreign aid

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the Senate would likely not take the bill up until July and after it has dealt with Trump’s big tax and immigration bill. He also said it’s possible the Senate could tweak the bill.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House narrowly voted Thursday to cut about $9.4 billion in spending already approved by Congress as President Donald Trump’s administration looks to follow through on work done by the Department of Government Efficiency when it was overseen by Elon Musk.

The package targets foreign aid programs and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides money for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service as well as thousands of public radio and television stations around the country. The vote was 214-212.

Click here to read more.

CPB statement on House approval of rescissions package

Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), issued the following statement Thursday on the U.S. House of Representatives’ vote on the rescissions package to claw back $1.1 billion of already appropriated funding for CPB for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. The rescissions package now goes to the Senate. 

“Public media delivers unmatched value to the American taxpayer. It serves every family in every part of America. It’s available for families without access to reliable broadband, cable or streaming services. Federal funding is essential to public media. Every dollar from CPB brings nearly seven more from state, local and private donors — the kind of return any taxpayer would insist upon.

“Cutting off federal funding to public media will not only damage local stations, it will be disruptive for millions of Americans who rely on it for news and information that helps them make decisions about their lives and participate in their communities.”

Statement from Katherine Maher, NPR President and CEO: The House voted to claw back federal funding intended for public broadcasters around the country

“Today, the House of Representatives narrowly voted to rescind $1.1 billion in funds previously approved for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The vote was 214 to 212 in favor.

“The rescission proposal, submitted last week by the President, seeks to remove more than $700 million in funds dedicated to supporting independent local public media organizations in communities across all 50 states and territories. The proposal now moves to the Senate for consideration.

“Americans who rely on local, independent stations serving communities across America, especially in rural and underserved regions, will suffer the immediate consequences of this vote. If rescission passes and local stations go dark, millions of Americans will no longer have access to locally owned, independent, nonprofit media and will bear the risk of living in a news desert, missing their emergency alerts, and hearing silence where classical, jazz and local artists currently play.

“We urge the Senate to preserve the bipartisan support that has uplifted public broadcasting's essential services in this country for the last 50 years, underscored press freedoms within every station and with each producer, and ensured the protection of the unique, universal, and lifesaving value of the public media system. We urge the Senate to affirm the very real support for public media across the nation, and to reject rescission, maintaining critical services for Americans across the nation.

“The outcome today was extraordinarily close. We are especially grateful for the bipartisan leadership of the Public Broadcasting Caucus, Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), and all lawmakers who championed the effort in the House to safeguard this funding. In the spirit of their bipartisan support, we will continue to advocate for public media's essential service to all Americans across our nation.”

PBS statement on House vote to pass rescissions package

PBS released the following statement after the House of Representatives voted to claw back federal funding already appropriated to the public media system.

“The fight to protect public media does not end with this vote, and we will continue to make the case for our essential service in the days and weeks to come. If these cuts are finalized by the Senate, it will have a devastating impact on PBS and local member stations, particularly smaller and rural stations that rely on federal funding for a larger portion of their budgets. Without PBS and local member stations, Americans will lose unique local programming and emergency services in times of crisis.

“Our work is only possible because of the bipartisan support we have always received from Congress, support we have earned by providing services that cannot be replaced by commercial media.

“During this process we have heard from millions of people from across the country who rely on PBS and local member stations for information and educational media that can’t be found anywhere else, and we know that the American people will continue to stand up in support of our work as we turn our attention to the Senate.”