Congress Approves $9 Billion in Funding Cuts, Including $1.1 Billion for Public Broadcasting

The Republican-led Congress has approved a measure to rescind approximately $9 billion in previously approved funding, including the full amount allocated for public broadcasting over the next two years. This move, requested by President Donald Trump, utilizes a rarely employed tool that allows the president to request the cancellation of previously approved funding.

Democrats attempted to block the measure but lacked the necessary support from Republicans who were uncomfortable with the president's initiative. The Senate passed the majority of Trump's request in the early morning hours of Thursday, with a vote of 51-48. The House followed suit early Friday, voting 216-213. The measure is now awaiting the president's signature to become law.

One of the key components of the bill is the rescission of nearly $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which represents the full amount it was due to receive during the next two budget years. The White House argues that the public media system is politically biased and an unnecessary expense. The corporation distributes more than 70% of its funds to over 1,500 locally operated public television and radio stations, with the remainder supporting national programming for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service.

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas claimed that public broadcasting has been dominated by "partisan activists." However, concerns were raised on both sides of the political spectrum regarding the potential impact of these cuts on local public media stations. Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota secured a deal from the White House to repurpose some funding administered by the Interior Department to support Native American public radio stations in about a dozen states. Nevertheless, many lawmakers, including Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, expressed that this would not adequately assist a large number of local broadcasting stations.

To justify the spending cuts, the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers highlighted certain activities they disagreed with, portraying a wide range of programs' funding as wasteful. For instance, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought criticized programming aimed at fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. He cited a 2022 NPR program entitled “What ‘Queer Ducks’ can teach teenagers about sexuality in the animal kingdom” and a 2020 CNN town hall with “Sesame Street” about combating racism.

In addition to the cuts to public broadcasting, the package includes the rescission of almost $8.3 billion in foreign aid programs aimed at fighting famine and disease and promoting global stability. A Senate amendment reduced the foreign aid cuts to about $7.9 billion after Republicans agreed to remove a $400 million cut to PEPFAR, a program initiated under President George W. Bush to combat HIV/AIDS, which is credited with saving millions of lives.

The bill includes various rescissions, such as $500 million from global health programs, $800 million for emergency shelter and family reunification, $4.15 billion for economic and democratic institution support in developing countries, $496 million for humanitarian assistance, and $361 million for international peacekeeping efforts. The Trump administration argued that some cuts, like eliminating funding for UNICEF, would encourage international organizations to be more efficient and seek contributions from other nations, prioritizing American taxpayers.