Republican and Democratic Senators Denounce Trump's Move to Silence Public-Broadcasting Stations Essential to Many Rural States

WASHINGTON — During a Wednesday hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee, both Republican and Democratic senators expressed deep reservations about President Donald Trump’s plans to claw back more than a billion dollars in already-approved federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

Many GOP lawmakers, including Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), Sen. Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), said the cuts would harm programming that is important to them and their constituents. Collins said: “There are more targeted approaches [to addressing perceived bias in public media] than rescinding all of the funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.” McConnell said the president’s entire rescission process was “unnecessarily chaotic” and “counter-productive.” 

Murkowski gave a “bird’s-eye view” of CPB funding, highlighting how essential it is to the viability of public-broadcasting stations across Alaska, from Barrow to Juneau. “I hope you feel the urgency that I’m trying to express on behalf of the people in rural areas of Alaska and in many parts of rural America where [public radio] is their lifeline.”

On June 3, President Trump sent Congress a rescission request, which started a process that gives lawmakers a window of 45 session days to adopt the cuts by a simple-majority vote in both chambers.  On June 12, the House narrowly voted to approve the White House’s defunding request. Congress had previously approved $535 million a year in federal spending for CPB through the end of 2027. 

Wednesday’s hearing gave senators a chance to hear about Trump’s plan from Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought. Prior to joining the Trump administration, Vought played a central role in Project 2025, the far-right initiative that aims to remove any checks against executive-branch abuses of power.

Free Press Action Government Relations Director Amanda Beckham said:

“Today, senators made it clear that President Trump’s scheme to defund public broadcasting and other essential and lifesaving programs faces strong opposition from across the political spectrum. Despite Trump’s repeated attacks and lies, public broadcasting remains an incredibly popular use of taxpayer dollars. A Free Press Action poll found that more than half the people in the United States support federal funding to create and expand local and independent news. Local public-media stations provide trustworthy news, cultural programming and lifesaving coverage during emergencies. Stripping funding from the entity that supports these stations is far removed from what most people across the country want. 

“This Congress has already approved $535 million a year in federal spending for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting through the end of 2027 — a figure that’s less than .01 percent of the total federal budget. The idea that this rescission package is about generating meaningful savings is a joke, especially when this administration proposes to balloon the deficit with its other tax cuts. The reality is that President Trump is hostile to any media entity that asks hard questions instead of just producing fawning propaganda. 

“Trump’s attacks on public broadcasting smack of censorship and chill freedom of the press. It’s a sobering assault on independent journalism and public accountability. Free Press Action hopes that the vocal opposition senators expressed to Trump’s plans isn’t just empty rhetoric. All senators regardless of party should vote against this dangerous and destructive rescission package.”