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Key Points

The US House is set to vote on a GOP-backed bill that would slash $9 billion from foreign aid and public broadcasting. The Senate narrowly passed the bill, with Democrats and two Republicans opposing it. GOP leaders argue the cuts address wasteful spending, while Democrats accuse them of undermining Congress’s authority. The bill specifically targets NPR and PBS, which conservatives claim exhibit left-wing bias.

Key Points: US House to Vote on GOP Bill Cutting Foreign Aid and PBS Funding

  • Senate passes GOP bill cutting $9B from foreign aid and PBS
  • Democrats unanimously oppose bill along with two GOP senators
  • Thune defends cuts as step toward fiscal responsibility
  • Schumer accuses GOP of rubber-stamping Trump’s agenda
2 min read

US House to vote on bill to cut funding for foreign aid, public broadcasting

Senate-approved GOP bill slashes $9B from foreign aid and public broadcasting, facing Democratic opposition and GOP dissent.

"My Democrat colleagues may not want to acknowledge it, but we have a serious spending problem in this country. – John Thune"

Washington, July 18

The US House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bill to cut funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting after the Senate passed it.

The Senate approved the bill early Thursday, which will roll back $9 billion Congress had allocated to foreign aid and public broadcasting, Xinhua news agency reported.

With a voting result of 51-48, the bill was opposed by every Democrat in the Senate, along with two GOP senators.

Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the bill is a small but an important "step toward fiscal sanity."

The bill will slash $1.1 billion meant for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. US President Donald Trump and conservatives have blasted the corporation's two channels, National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System, as biased in favor of the left. Moreover, the GOP has deemed the channels as an unnecessary expense to taxpayers.

"My Democrat colleagues may not want to acknowledge it, but we have a serious spending problem in this country," Thune said Tuesday. "And the very least we can do in response is to target some of the egregious misuses of taxpayer dollars that we are addressing today in this bill."

Two Senate Republicans voted against the package.

"You don't need to gut the entire Corporation for Public Broadcasting," said Lisa Murkowski, one of the two Republicans who voted against the bill.

The package also slashed funding for some foreign development programs.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer blasted the legislation and accused the White House of usurping Congress's legally mandated role of being in charge of federal spending.

"Today, Senate Republicans turn this chamber into a subservient rubber stamp for the executive, at the behest of Donald Trump," he said.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Interesting how they call public broadcasting "biased" when it's one of the few balanced news sources left. Maybe we should learn from this in India too - less government control over media is better!
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Aman W
Cutting foreign aid is shortsighted. America gains more soft power through aid than through military spending. As an Indian, I've seen how US-funded education programs helped rural areas.
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Sarah B
The partisan divide in US politics is worrying. In India we have our differences too, but at least there's some consensus on development issues. Hope they find middle ground.
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Karthik V
$9 billion cut seems big but is peanuts compared to US military budget. They spend more on one aircraft carrier than all foreign aid combined! Priorities all wrong.
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Nisha Z
While I understand fiscal responsibility, completely gutting public broadcasting is extreme. India's Prasar Bharati shows how public media can be balanced and valuable.

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