Trump Calls on Congress to Erase $1.1 Billion in Public Broadcast Funds
The president's rescission request — which asks Congress to cut funding it had already approved for public broadcasters — will need a majority of lawmakers in the House and the Senate to become law.
Tuesday's request is the latest step in President Trump's push to defund NPR and PBS. Last month, President Trump signed an executive order calling for the end of taxpayer subsidization of PBS and NPR, via the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
'Unlike in 1967, when the CPB was established, today the media landscape is filled with abundant, diverse and innovative news options,' the order said. 'Government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence.'
The president has also called NPR and PBS 'radical left monsters' that Republicans must defund in recent social media posts.
Congress has already allocated $535 million for public broadcasters this fiscal year; PBS last week said it is it receiving $325 million this year from the CPB, which accounts for 22% of its funding.
PBS and NPR have both recently sued the Trump Administration in an attempt to thwart his plan to defund public broadcasters.
The lawsuit filed by PBS last week said the president's executive order violates its First Amendment rights and also claimed President Trump does not have the authority to make decisions over funding for public broadcasters.
President Trump, the lawsuit added, was engaging in 'viewpoint discrimination' because he has claimed PBS is biased against him and other Republicans.
PBS chief Paula Kerger recently said the president's executive order would spell the end for a number of local news stations.
Kerger, in an interview with Katie Couric, lamented that 'there are stations that will go off the air' in rural areas if the president is successful, without projecting a specific number of PBS member stations that would cease to operate.
'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 post Trump Calls on Congress to Erase $1.1 Billion in Public Broadcast Funds appeared first on TheWrap.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
a few seconds ago
- New York Post
Miranda Devine: Trump wins the Epstein battle — as the left, media foolishly believe prez on the skids
If you listened to the rest of the media — both mainstream and social media — you would think Donald Trump was on the skids, that MAGA was at last turning on the president over the so-called Epstein Files. But nothing could be further from the truth, according to polling the president crowed about over the weekend and, also, according to history. Every single time his enemies count him out, Trump roars back with a vengeance. The latest effort last week to try to smear him as a sexual deviant and damage his marriage by tying him to child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein is a case in point. The Wall Street Journal story Thursday was tame by comparison to the lurid rumors and wishful thinking that ripped through Washington, DC, and newly anti-Trump Elon Musk's X all week. The story claimed Trump had contributed a letter to a leather-bound book created for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003 by the pervert financier's gal pal Ghislaine Maxwell. The typewritten letter reportedly involved an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein that included the lines 'Enigmas never age' and 'Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.' In its description of the letter, which it did not publish, the WSJ said there was also a doodle of a naked woman and Trump's signature. Trump denied writing the letter or drawing the picture, calling it 'FAKE,' before launching a $10 billion libel action. Trump said: 'These are not my words, not the way I talk.' Ditched 'creep' long ago I can't express my own views about the merits or otherwise of the story for legal reasons since The Post and the WSJ share the same parent company. But I can say it's a nothing burger. So what if Trump wrote the letter, or not? The date is 2003, five years before Epstein was convicted of prostituting a child and was registered as a sex offender, before the world found out what a monster he really was. It's no secret that Trump was chummy with Epstein in his heyday in Manhattan and Palm Beach, when the late pervert was a social-climbing financier throwing star-studded parties. Epstein was a fixture of elite East Coast social circles in the 1990s. It would be strange if Trump didn't know him. But the saga shows Trump in a good light because, years before Epstein's 2008 arrest and sweetheart plea deal, Trump banned him from his Mar-a-Lago club 'for being a creep,' says White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. According to legal filings and a 2020 book by lawyer Bradley Edwards, who represented several Epstein victims, Trump threw out Epstein around 2004, for sexually assaulting the daughter of a friend and Mar-a-Lago member. The New York Times claims Trump and Epstein also fell out over business around the same time when they competed to buy a house in Palm Beach, forcing up the price and annoying Trump. Either way, there is no dispute that Trump cut ties with Epstein more than 20 years ago, which distinguishes him from other high-flying Epstein pals, such as Prince Andrew, former bank CEO Jes Staley and Bill Gates, who kept up the association even after Epstein was convicted. It was during Trump's first presidency that federal prosecutors came after Epstein again, charging him in July 2019 with sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors for sex. One of the main prosecutors was none other than Maurene Comey, the daughter of notorious FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump had sacked two years earlier. James Comey is now in the crosshairs of the FBI, along with former CIA Director John Brennan, after current CIA Director John Ratcliffe referred them for criminal investigation two weeks ago over freshly declassified evidence that highlights their roles in the Russia collusion hoax. Maurene Comey was fired Wednesday, one day before the WSJ story was published, and one day after the White House was alerted to the story. She told colleagues in an email that her ouster was 'unexpected' and unexplained. Comey was also the lead prosecutor of Ghislaine Maxwell in 2021 over her role in Epstein's sex trafficking. According to the WSJ, the 'birthday book' Maxwell compiled was in the files examined by the DOJ during the investigations of Epstein and Maxwell. Every week, Post columnist Miranda Devine sits down for exclusive and candid conversations with the most influential disruptors in Washington. Subscribe here! There is no indication of anything more than a circumstantial link between Comey's ouster and the WSJ story, but the timing is intriguing. Like everything else with Epstein, people are inclined to see links where there are none. After the WSJ story broke Thursday, Trump asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to release 'any and all pertinent grand jury testimony, subject to court approval' that was gathered by New York federal prosecutors in 2019. But just because people associated with Epstein doesn't make them complicit in his crimes. The DOJ and FBI have said there is no 'Epstein client list,' as in a list of men to whom he pimped out underage girls. What does exist is Epstein's 'little black book,' bulging with 1,971 names, uncovered in 2009 when his butler tried to sell it. It has been the subject of intense reporting, but you can't judge the names guilty just because Epstein had their number. 'There are a lot of names associated with Epstein that had nothing to do with Epstein's conduct,' broadcaster Bill O'Reilly said last week, quoting Trump. 'They maybe had lunch with him or maybe had some correspondence. 'If that name gets out, those people are destroyed — because there's not going to be any context. The media doesn't care about context — so you can't do that.' Many of the now-adult victims of Epstein were cheated of their chance to confront their tormentor in court because he died in pretrial detention. But the judge allowed them to testify in the Manhattan federal courtroom where Epstein would have been tried, to tell the world what his sexual depravity meant. I was in that courtroom in August 2019 to witness this display of feminine courage as 17 young women lined up at a microphone, heads held high, to place their suffering on the record. Six others had their lawyers read out letters. Through tears and shaky voices, they told their stories so we would understand the toll of broken trust. 'I was nothing more than a teenage prostitute. I was his slave,' said one victim who was a 16-year-old virgin when she says Epstein raped her. The most outspoken victim, Virginia Giuffre, who reportedly committed suicide three months ago, told the court: 'Epstein did not act alone.' Get Miranda's latest take Sign up for Devine Online, the newsletter from Miranda Devine Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Want even more news? Check out more newsletters Giuffre, who fell prey to Epstein at 16, alleged she was 'passed around like a platter of fruit' to 'powerful men,' including Prince Andrew, who settled out of court after she sued him for sexual abuse. She accused other powerful men, but never Trump. In fact, in her 2015 memoir, she explicitly ruled out Trump. As much as the liberal media is salivating at the prospect of another Get-Trump pile-on, there is just nothing there. 'X is not reality' Meanwhile, the same media is ignoring the latest bombshell revelation in the Russiagate scandal unveiled last week by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, where the evidence of wrongdoing by President Barack Obama and his henchmen exists and is compelling. Trump is having the last laugh, anyway, as CNN pollster Harry Enten pointed out last week. 'If anything Donald Trump's approval rating has gone up since this whole Epstein saga started,' Enten said. 'He is at the apex or close to it in terms of his popularity [with Republicans], Epstein Files complaints or not. Who knew Twitter and X are not reality.' It just goes to prove the noisiest loudmouths who claim to represent MAGA just represent themselves.
The Hill
a few seconds ago
- The Hill
Lutnick: US ‘going to love the deals that President Trump and I are doing'
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Sunday that the public is 'going to love the deals that President Trump and I are doing' as the administration promises forthcoming breakthroughs on tariffs. 'Well, you heard in our polling some of the perceptions of the economy,' CBS News' Margaret Brennan told Lutnick on 'Face the Nation.' 'Sixty-one percent of Americans believe the administration is putting too much focus on tariffs, 70 percent say the administration is not doing enough to lower prices and 60 percent oppose new tariffs on imported goods.' 'This is a centerpiece to your policy plan. How do you reverse public opposition?' she asked. 'Oh, they're going to love the deals that President Trump and I are doing. I mean, they're just going to love them. You know, the president figured out the right answer, and sent letters to these countries, said this is going to fix the trade deficit,' Lutnick responded. 'This will go a long way to fixing the trade deficit, and that's gotten these countries to the table and they're going to open their markets or they're going to pay the tariff,' he added. Trump's whiplash approach to threatening and imposing tariffs has at times rattled the markets. The president has sent letters to dozens of countries warning of tariffs ranging from 20 to 50 percent to be imposed beginning Aug. 1 unless new deals are reached. 'For 80 years, America's leaders let countries put tariffs on our products and we did nothing,' Lutnick said Tuesday in a post on the social platform X. 'Now under President Trump's leadership, American consumers and businesses are going to be competing on a level playing field. America will come out ahead,' he added.
Business Insider
a minute ago
- Business Insider
5 reasons Wall Street is in chill mode
Stock markets are shrugging off major risks and smashing records — so much so that even seasoned investors are scratching their heads. On Friday, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 closed little changed after notching record highs on Thursday. Both indexes are hovering near the all-time highs they reached earlier this month, continuing a rebound after the post-"Liberation Day" sell-off. That rebound has stunned analysts, given the pile-up of macro risks, particularly President Donald Trump's ongoing threats to impose steep tariffs on key trading partners. Yet investors keep piling in — even if many are doing so with one eye on the exit. "In many ways, this is a rally that really no one's had much conviction in it," Andrew Pease, the Asia Pacific head of investments for Russell Investments, told Business Insider. He said the firm's analysis shows investors are neutral, not euphoric. "Everyone's very wary about this particular rally," Pease said. Wall Street veterans have spent months warning that investors may be underestimating the risks. "Unfortunately, I think there is complacency in the markets," JPMorgan Chase's CEO, Jamie Dimon, said earlier in July, referring to tariffs. Those concerns may soon be put to the test. Trump's proposed levies on trading partners — ranging from 10% to 70% — threaten to disrupt supply chains, fuel inflation, and slow global growth. "I think the market is too complacent about the damage of such high tariffs on both the US and the global economy," said Zhiwei Zhang, chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management. It's not just tariffs that suggest trouble could be brewing. China's economic slowdown, Middle East tensions, and softening US data all suggest trouble could be brewing. So why are stocks still surging? 1. The US economy still looks resilient Despite inflationary concerns tied to Trump's tariff threats, the US economy remains on solid footing. As BI's Jennifer Sor recently reported, recession fears are fading. Big banks kicked off earnings season on a strong note last week. The consumer "basically seems to be fine," JPMorgan's chief financial officer, Jeremy Barnum, said on an earnings call on July 15. That's despite some cracks in the data. US GDP contracted 0.5% in the third quarter, and consumer spending growth slowed to 0.5% in Q1 — down sharply from 4% in Q4 2024. But retail sales rose 0.6% in June from May and the job market remains robust. The US added 147,000 jobs in June, well above expectations, while unemployment dipped to 4.1% from 4.2%. American consumers are, as top CEOs said recently, "a little numb" to tariffs and "very resilient," even as inflation ticks up. 2. Betting on the TACO trade Some investors are leaning on the "TACO trade" — short for "Trump Always Chickens Out." Markets are increasingly assuming that Trump's tariff threats are more talk than action. "Finally, the market is not wrong in pricing in a good chance that Trump will not follow through with his latest tariff threats, instead settling for some deal by 1 August," wrote Davide Oneglia, the director of European and global macro at Global Lombard, on July 16, referring to the trade deadline. Daniela Sabin Hathorn, senior market analyst at agreed: "The prevailing view among investors seems to be that these tariff threats are more bark than bite — a negotiating tactic rather than a firm policy stance." That's created what analysts call "asymmetry:" Markets could keep rising if talks go well, but they are vulnerable to sharp corrections if discussions break down. 3. FOMO + MOMO = a runaway rally Even as risks loom, traders don't want to miss out. That's fueling what analysts describe as a combination of FOMO, or fear of missing out, and MOMO, or momentum-based trading. Retail traders have been jumping back in, chasing gains as indexes push higher, even if they missed the earlier run-up. "MOMO and FOMO" are likely to dominate until proven otherwise," wrote Steve Sosnick, the chief strategist at Interactive Brokers, in a June 30 note. "Newton's First Law applies: A body (market) that is in motion will stay in motion until acted upon by an external source," he added. Sosnick said that implied volatility remains low, even as risks mount, suggesting investors are choosing to look past potential trouble. Pease at Russell Investments agreed that momentum could unravel quickly — but only if there's a clear macro shock. 4. Fed cuts are back on the table The Federal Reserve has signaled it could cut rates another two times this year — a boon for stocks. Lower rates reduce bond yields, making equities more attractive. They also encourage borrowing and investment. But rising inflation could complicate that path. In June, US inflation climbed 2.7% from a year ago, up from 2.4% in May. Dimon warned that the Fed might still hike if inflation proves sticky. He sees a 40% to 50% chance of another increase this cycle. 5. AI continues to power tech gains AI hype continues to drive the market, especially Big Tech. "AI is still the dominant theme, particularly as the Big Tech companies are giving solid earnings guidance and other companies are joining in as well, then that's the world in which you could see that this rally has further to go," Pease said, while cautioning that gains could become overdone. Bank of America's latest global fund manager survey, published July 15, shows 40% of respondents already see productivity gains from AI adoption. Another 21% expect gains within the next year. Caution still lingers Despite the optimism, there's unease under the surface. Summer trading is thinner, meaning volatility can spike quickly. Last year's yen carry trade unwind is a fresh reminder that things can turn fast. Trump's tariff threats are still on the table, but Oneglia thinks markets are right to be relatively unfazed. "Negotiations have not broken down and the market is acting rationally — at least on this," Oneglia wrote. Still, others are more cautious. "Ultimately, markets are at a crossroads," wrote Hathorn. "The rally, particularly in US equities, has been driven by optimism and underpinned by assumptions about political behavior." Until August, market asymmetry remains, so there's "room to rise on good news, but the potential for a swift and severe correction if trade tensions escalate," Hathorn added.
