In the early hours of Thursday, Senate Republicans passed a bill to cut $9 billion from public broadcasting and foreign aid programs. The bill follows requests from former President Donald Trump’s White House and now moves to the GOP-controlled House for final approval.
The vote was 51 to 48. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) joined Democrats in opposing the bill. The legislation reverses funding that Congress had previously approved with bipartisan support.
Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) criticized the timing and content of the vote, saying Republicans acted “at 2 am” to defund public broadcasting and emergency services without protecting rural radio or alert systems. She also condemned the lack of transparency about which programs would be cut.
“Congress should decide what we spend and what we cut—not Trump and not Russ Vought,” Murray said, referring to the Office of Management and Budget director, who declined to specify which programs would be affected.
The bill includes a cut of more than $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds PBS and NPR, and reduces funding for foreign aid programs.
Democrats and advocacy groups warned the cuts would harm lifesaving services, educational programs, and disaster relief efforts. Kate Riley, CEO of America’s Public Television Stations, said the cuts “will decimate public media and put local stations at risk of going dark.”
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) called the bill a “test case” and warned it could lead to further cuts to bipartisan programs in the future.
Republicans rejected Democratic amendments aimed at protecting public safety alerts and international disaster aid during the Senate debate.
The White House has indicated it may submit more budget cut requests if this bill passes.
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