President Trump on Thursday threatened to withhold his support for any Republican who opposes a rescissions package of roughly $9 billion in cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting.
“It is very important that all Republicans adhere to my Recissions Bill and, in particular, DEFUND THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING (PBS and NPR), which is worse than CNN & MSDNC put together,” Trump said, using a derogatory nickname for MSNBC.
“Any Republican that votes to allow this monstrosity to continue broadcasting will not have my support or Endorsement,” Trump added.
The GOP-led Congress has until July 18 to approve more than $9 billion in cuts put forward by the Trump administration in a rescissions package. The cuts target the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which oversees PBS and NPR, money for USAID and agencies like the U.S. Institute of Peace, which Trump aimed to dismantle via an executive order signed in February.
The House approved the request last month, but it’s largely been on the back-burner since as Republicans worked to pass Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” Now, the Senate is set to take it up.
Republicans supportive of the plan see the cuts as long overdue. Many in the party have long scrutinized the scope of funding for foreign aid and accused public radio and television of political bias.
But some GOP senators have raised concerns about certain cuts.
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) has repeatedly sounded the alarm about the administration’s proposed cuts targeting the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and other senators have expressed reservations about the impact of public broadcasting cuts on rural areas that rely on local, government-funded stations for information.
