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When news of Paramount’s $16 million settlement with Trump broke last week, industry veterans and other government officials were quick to warn that it would only spur on the president’s crusade against the media. It seems like that’s already happening. In a pretty naked display of The Way Things Work Now, Trump threatened to revoke his endorsement from any Republican who voted against his plan to slash billions in funding from public broadcasters like NPR and PBS in a post on Truth Social Thursday night.
The president specifically wrote that it was “very important that all Republicans adhere to my Recissions Bill [sic] and, in particular, DEFUND THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING (PBS and NPR), which is worse than CNN & MSDNC put together. Any Republican that votes to allow this monstrosity to continue broadcasting will not have my support or Endorsement.”
In June, the House of Representatives narrowly approved a bill that would cut $1.1 billion in funding that had previously been approved for public media such as PBS and NPR. The vote followed a May executive order that claimed the broadcasters were “biased” and suggested that “government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence.”
Congress had already allocated $535 million for public broadcasters this fiscal year, per TheWrap. PBS is specifically receiving $325 million, which it says accounts for 22% of its total funding.
While he may be attempting to shame his own party out of standing in opposition to the bill, Trump is facing legal challenges from both NPR and PBS. PBS’ suit specifically names the president’s claim of bias as “viewpoint discrimination” and accuses the administration of violating its First Amendment rights with the executive order. The funding cuts will also force multiple local stations to go dark if they go through, PBS chief Paula Kerger shared during a May interview with Katie Couric (via TheWrap). “I think we’ll figure out a way, through digital, to make sure there is some PBS content,” Kerger said. “But there won’t be anyone in the community creating local content. There won’t be a place for people to come together.”
The rescissions bill now needs a majority of votes in the Senate for approval. That vote is expected to occur next week.
