President Donald Trump set his sights on his next major policy push—a Rescissions Bill that includes a provision to cut some funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which oversees PBS and NPR.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump threatened Republicans that they would lose his support or endorsement if they did not support the bill, which would try to reappropriate previously approved funding.

Newsweek reached out to the CPB for comment via email outside of normal business hours Thursday evening.

Why It Matters

Trump in May signed an executive order that directed the CPB to “cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS” and prohibits CPB recipients from directing any federal money toward the two organizations.

Trump administration officials have claimed the two public entities have pushed “left-wing propaganda” and accused them of violating the CPB’s nonpartisan mandate. However, the CPB has argued that is not a federal executive agency, thus Trump’s directive has no jurisdiction over it.

Public broadcasting is primarily supported through a combination of federal funds, donations and philanthropic grants. Previous efforts to implement cuts have faced bipartisan resistance, but the latest effort has prompted concern due to the seeming total control Trump holds over the Republican Party.

What To Know

The Senate will soon vote on a package to cut about $9.4 billion in spending that Congress previously approved as the administration seeks to claw back money as part of its effort to slash what it deems waste, fraud and abuse, an effort largely spearheaded by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. About $1.1 billion of that money would be taken from the CPB’s allocation for public media.

The House approved the measure in a 214-212 vote. Republicans have labeled the spending as wasteful and unnecessary, while Democrats have said that the various cuts to a swath of programs, including funding for public broadcasting, have caused needless harm to Americans.

House Speaker Mike Johnson endorsed the cuts as a move to “direct [taxpayer dollars] toward priorities that truly benefit the American people,” but the measure’s passage relied on last-minute vote changes by two Republican lawmakers following pledges from GOP leadership that certain PBS and global health initiatives would be preserved.

Having succeeded in passing his One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Trump is now pushing ahead with the Rescissions Bill, which he noted is particularly aimed at defunding the CPB, claiming the organization is “Worse than CNN & MSDNC put together”—a reference to his view that both channels as overly liberal.

However, Trump’s bill passed due to narrow support and tiebreaks in both chambers of Congress, making it far from a foregone conclusion that the Rescissions Bill will pass easily or cleanly through the Senate.

“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!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Thursday evening.

Contrary to some claims, neither NPR nor PBS receives funding directly from the federal government. Instead, funds flow through the CPB, which allocates grants to more than 1,500 local public radio and television stations.

According to NPR, about 1 percent of its budget comes from federal sources, while CPB funding represents around 8 percent of a typical public radio station’s operating budget. For PBS and its member stations, CPB appropriations account for about 15 percent of total revenue.

The CPB has initiated legal action against Trump’s removal of three of its board members, arguing that the move was beyond the executive branch’s unilateral authority and violated statutory protections. Federal courts previously blocked similar attempts to withhold appropriated funds from public media, ruling that such actions exceeded executive power.

What People Are Saying

Patricia Harrison, CPB president and CEO, in June said: “Cutting off federal funding to public media will not only damage local stations, it will be disruptive for millions of Americans who rely on it for news and information that helps them make decisions about their lives and participate in their communities.”

PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger in May said: “The president’s blatantly unlawful executive order, issued in the middle of the night, threatens our ability to serve the American public with educational programming, as we have for the past 50-plus years,” Kerger said in a statement. “We are currently exploring all options to allow PBS to continue to serve our member stations and all Americans.”

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia in March wrote on X: “NPR and PBS have wasted millions of taxpayer dollars pushing Democrat talking points and alienating over half the country. I look forward to asking the leaders of both organizations tomorrow @DOGECommittee to explain to the American people why they should continue receiving their hard-earned money.”

Johnson in May said: “Under President Trump’s leadership, your taxpayer dollars are no longer being wasted. Instead, they are being directed toward priorities that truly benefit the American people.”

What Happens Next

The Senate will vote on the Rescissions Bill next week ahead of a July 18 deadline, while the administration continues facing legal challenges in its efforts to scale back the CPB.

This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.