The House of Representatives narrowly voted 214-212 on Thursday to cut about $9.4 billion in previously authorized spending, including nearly $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as part of a Trump-backed effort to cut funds to NPR, PBS and foreign aid programs.
According to The Associated Press, the package proposes 21 rescissions, including $900 million from $10 billion Congress had already approved for global health initiatives. That includes $500 million for programs addressing infectious diseases and child and maternal health, as well as $400 million for efforts to combat the global HIV epidemic.
If passed, the Trump administration’s plan would also slash $800 million from emergency relief efforts for those fleeing from other countries.
The Trump administration is using a rarely invoked process that allows the president to request the cancellation of approved funds, freezing them for 45 days while Congress decides. If Congress doesn’t act within that time, the funding remains in place.
Two Republicans boosted the House vote
“Under President Trump’s leadership, your taxpayer dollars are no longer being wasted,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said after the vote, The Associated Press reported. “Instead, they are being directed toward priorities that truly benefit the American people.”
Four Republicans — Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Nicole Malliotakis of New York and Mike Turner of Ohio — voted against the measure, while no Democrats supported it.
The bill’s passage was uncertain until Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska and Nick LaLota of New York switched from “no” to “yes,” pushing it forward to the Senate.
Cuts to public media could harm outlets nationwide
Democrats have strongly opposed the bill and urged their Republican counterparts to do the same, warning that the package would harm programs in foreign countries.
Additionally, rolling back almost $1.1 billion in funds to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would significantly impact local television and radio stations nationwide.
NPR reported that these outlets would have received the funds for the next two fiscal years. That money had been approved earlier this year by a Republican-led Congress and signed into law by Trump. Executives for the two outlets have since spoken out following Thursday’s vote and urged the Senate to vote against the bill.
NPR and PBS executives speak out
“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,” Katherine Maher, NPR chief executive and president, said in a statement, NPR reported. “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.”
Paula Kerger, PBS chief executive and president, echoed those concerns, stating that there is a real fight to protect funding for public media.
“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,” Kerger said, per NPR. “Without PBS and local member stations, Americans will lose unique local programming and emergency services in times of crisis.”
Rural areas could be affected by CPB cuts
Amodei, who is co-chairman of a bipartisan caucus supporting public broadcasting, and Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman of New York, released a joint statement urging the Trump Administration to reconsider cutting funding to public media as it could affect those living in rural areas.
“Public broadcasting represents less than 0.01% of the federal budget, yet its impact reaches every congressional district,” the two legislators said. “Cutting this funding will not meaningfully reduce the deficit, but it will dismantle a trusted source of information for millions of Americans.”