Senate advances deep cuts to public media funding
The Senate voted early Thursday to revoke a billion dollars in already approved funding for NPR, PBS and other public broadcasters.
The measure, known formally as a “rescission package,” is a request from President Donald Trump to take back $9 billion in funds that Congress has already appropriated for foreign aid and public broadcasting. Trump sent the request to Congress June 3, and it passed the House later that month. The Senate passed an amended version of the bill early Thursday morning 51-48, largely along party lines. The amended bill now requires final approval from the House, which has until Friday to pass it by a majority vote, otherwise the funds will be disbursed.
Related Knowledge Center: The White House vs. the press
Whether it’s the Des Moines Register’s publication of an unfavorable election poll, a routine edit of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, or the Associated Press’s decision in its authoritative stylebook to continue to use “Gulf of Mexico,” Donald Trump and the White House have used executive authority and legal reprisals in an effort to punish and suppress press coverage that runs contrary to the administration’s preferred narratives.
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