The world of nonprofit journalism suffered a hit
on Wednesday when the Senate narrowly voted to cancel money allocated for PBS and NPR.
President Trump’s $9 billion rescission package includes a $1.1 billion cut
to funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds PBS and NPR.
The action caused dismay among fans of the nonprofit channels and glee among critics
who felt they were biased. It was not clear at deadline how the House would vote.
"Nearly 3 in 4 Americans say they rely on their public radio stations for alerts and news for their
public safety," says NPR Katherine Maher, CEO of NPR, according to NPR. "We call on the House of Representatives to reject this elimination of public media funding, which directly harms their
communities and constituents, and could very well place lives at risk."
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Case in point: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AL) received an alert about a 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck the
Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island on Wednesday.
"I have an amendment that protects public media, their independence, their ability to provide local news, weather reports and, yes,
emergency alerts," Murkowski said, NPR reports. "We're reminded today this stuff matters, so I would hope my colleagues would recognize what is at stake and vote for my amendment."
Sen. Tammy
Baldwin (D-WI) warned that "local television and radio stations will shut down — and it will be rural stations that will be the first to close."
However, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), commented
that “NPR and PBS have revealed their left-wing bias time and time again. If you want to watch the left-wing propaganda, turn on MSNBC. But the taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize
it."
The package also includes billions in cuts to foreign aid.
Update: The House of Representatives approved the plan by a vote of 216 to 213. It now goes to President
Trump's desk for his signature.