President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he would not endorse any Republican senator who votes against defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which oversees NPR and PBS.
Trump’s warning comes ahead of a Senate vote on a $9.4 billion rescission package previously approved by the House. The bill includes over $1 billion in cuts to the CPB, a nonprofit entity created by Congress that receives federal funding.
The House narrowly passed the package 214-212 last month. The Senate is expected to take up the bill in the coming week.
On Truth Social, Trump wrote, “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.”
He continued, “Any Republican that votes to allow this monstrosity to continue broadcasting will not have my support or Endorsement. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The legislation proposes $8.3 billion in cuts to foreign initiatives, including funding for “Net Zero Cities” in Mexico, an Iraqi version of “Sesame Street,” and global LGBT programs. An additional $1.1 billion would come from eliminating CPB funding.
In May, Trump signed an executive