U.S. House of Representatives signed President Donald Trump’s bill to rescind $1.1 billion in funds to public broadcasting. The cuts already hurt stations.
July 18 A bill rescinding $1.1 billion in funds to public broadcasting is awaiting President Donald Trump’s signature, and many critics, including some Republicans, say it will devastate some rural areas and even put the country in danger.
The claw-back bill will cut $9 billion in total, including major reductions to foreign aid. It passed the House early Friday morning.
The public stations already have received funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to get them through September. Once that money runs out, more than 100 PBS and NPR stations are at risk of closing. The cuts will hit especially hard in rural areas.
For example, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit off the coast of Alaska on Wednesday. Public media helped broadcast a tsunami alert, said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.
„Their response to today’s earthquake is a perfect example of the incredible public service these stations provide“, Murkowski said Wednesday on X. „They deliver local news, weather updates, and, yes, emergency alerts that save human lives.“
Murkowski was one of two Republican senators who voted against the bill.
The effects of the cutting off of funding could be even wider-reaching than expected, obsersers said.
