Prominent liberals and media figures declare cuts to PBS, NPR a ‘perilous moment’
Liberal commentators, lawmakers and journalists working for PBS and NPR blasted this week's congressional vote that stripped federal funding from their outlets.
Following the Senate, the House of Representatives voted 216 to 213 to pass President Donald Trump’s $9 billion rescissions package late Thursday night. When signed by Trump, it will block $8 billion in funding to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and $1 billion to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting – which funds PBS and NPR – for the remainder of the fiscal year.
PBS NewsHour co-anchor Geoff Bennett reacted to the vote on X, stating, "This is a perilous moment for public media — but the resolve is stronger than ever. If you value independent journalism, educational programming, and trusted local coverage, please support your local PBS or NPR station."
Other liberals weighed in on the bill’s passage. Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich posted a reaction to the vote on X.
"The Senate just passed Trump's request to cut $1.1 billion in federal funding for public broadcasting. Why is Trump so hell-bent on gutting funds for PBS and NPR? It’s part of a larger plan — one where he can control not just what we do, but what we think," he wrote.
Additionally, Reich’s post featured a video of him explaining to Sesame Street character Elmo how Trump is cutting funds to PBS in order to control information throughout the country.
"And Trump, like past authoritarians, wants to control not just what we do, but also how we think," he said in the video.
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Liberal commentator Molly Jong-Fast declared, "This is so bad."
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Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called it the "meanest" vote in Senate history, while fellow Democratic lawmaker Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., reacted to the vote on X, stating, "The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress have weaponized the rescissions tool to defund their perceived political enemies – public radio, Sesame Street, and starving children overseas. This vote was a test case for the months ahead."
NPR critic-at-large Eric Deggans posted, "Tough news. But we'll still keep on doing the work, fairly and accurately."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., posted, "House Republicans just passed Trump’s rescissions package — billions of dollars in cuts to public broadcasting that serves rural America and global aid that saves lives. I voted HELL NO."
Jayapal also shared her full statement on the vote, which declared, "Simply put, Republicans are stealing from the American people. And yet once again, Republicans are pathetically lining up behind Trump to do whatever he says rather than acting in the best interests of the people they represent."