The Senate passed Donald Trump‘s set of spending cuts to rescind $1.1 billion from public media, despite warnings that the funding rollbacks will devastate the PBS, NPR and public station ecosystem.
The vote early on Thursday was 51-48, with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) joining all Democrats and independents in voting against. The bill now goes to the House for final passage, with a deadline of Friday.
The cuts were part of a $9 billion rescissions package, with Republicans also voting to slash foreign aid and health programs.
Public media has faced funding battles throughout its history, dating to the 1960s, but they have so far beat back such efforts when bipartisan support came through in Congress.
This time around, Trump has threatened to withhold support and endorsements from any lawmaker who doesn’t vote for the cuts, as he has attacked PBS and NPR for alleged left-wing bias. It’s just his latest effort to try to undermine media outlets for coverage he dislikes.
But advocates of public media say that, if federal funding is eliminated, it’s the stations, including those in rural markets, that will face the greatest crisis, as they rely more heavily on funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The CPB is the entity set up by Congress to distribute grants to public media outlets.
This elimination of federal funding will decimate public media and put local stations at risk of going dark, cutting off service to communities that rely on them — many of which have no other access to locally controlled media.
Kate Riley, the president of America’s Public Television Stations, said in a statement after the Senate vote, “This elimination of federal funding will decimate public media and put local stations at risk of going dark, cutting off service to communities that rely on them — many of which have no other access to locally controlled media.”
Throughout the day on Wednesday, senators debated the rescissions package and voted on a series of amendments, including those that would retain funding for rural stations and those on tribal lands. But those amendments were defeated.
As the final vote neared, Murkowski sought to sway fellow Republicans, noting that public media stations in her state helped warn residents after a 7.3 earthquake struck off the Alaska Peninsula.
“Some colleagues claim they are targeting ‘radical leftist organizations’ with these cuts, but in Alaska, these are simply organizations dedicated to their communities,” she wrote on X. “Their response to today’s earthquake is a perfect example of the incredible public service these stations provide. They deliver local news, weather updates, and, yes, emergency alerts that save human lives.”
She added, “The tsunami warnings are now thankfully canceled, but the warning to the U.S. Senate remains in effect. Today of all days, we should vote down these misguided cuts to public broadcasting.”
Earlier, she had written that “we are lawmakers. Our responsibility is to legislate, not to shrug our shoulders and take direction from the White House.”
Paula Kerger, the president of PBS, and Katherine Maher, the president of NPR, appeared on news shows on Tuesday in a last-minute lobby to try to convince lawmakers to retain the funding. They have pointed to the public service aspects of broadcast stations, including in communities where there are few options for local content, as well as polling showing majority public trust in public media and support for federal funding.
The White House and many Senate Republicans have continued to target PBS ansd NPR for alleged bias, citing individual instances. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) posted a series of tweets made by Maher, including one in which she called Trump a “racist.” Maher posted the tweets before she was named CEO of NPR, and later told a House committee that she regretted them.
Some Republicans celebrated the cuts as a necessary aspect of reducing what they see as unnecessary spending. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) wrote on X, “Claws back $9 billion in DOGE cuts, targeting wasteful foreign aid programs that don’t serve America’s interest, as well as NPR and PBS. Important step. More to do.”
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) ended up voting for the rescissions package after initially voting against a procedural motion to bring it to the floor. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) missed the vote because she was hospitalized overnight after not feeling well earlier in the day, her office said.
More to come.
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