ALAMOSA — By a margin of two votes, Republicans in the House of Representatives narrowly passed legislation 214 to 212 that eliminates all federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) for the next two years 

Republican Congressman Jeff Hurd representing Congressional District 3, including the San Luis Valley, was among the 214. Four Republicans joined ranks with 208 Democrats in voting against the bill. 

Should the bill pass the Senate, $1.1 billion for public media outlets already included in the budget already approved by the Republican-led House and Senate and signed by President Trump will be clawed back. 

Six weeks ago, President Trump broadcast his plan to defund NPR and PBS in an executive order he signed on May 1, alleging bias in coverage. 

“NPR and PBS have fueled partisanship and left-wing propaganda with taxpayer dollars,” the May 1 Executive Order read. “An NPR editor found that registered Democrats outnumbered Republicans 87 to zero in the newsroom’s editorial positions.”  

Last week, Trump then made his request directly to Congress, asking them to pass the rescissions legislation, a request House Speaker Mike Johnson strongly supported.  “There is no reason for any media organization to be singled out to receive federal funds, especially those who appear to have so little regard for the truth.” 

Katherine Maher, CEO of NPR, has stated that cutting funding to NPR will hurt rural public radio stations the most. Comments from Gerald Rodriguez, General Manager of Alamosa-based KRZA public radio serving the San Luis Valley, gave credence to Maher’s statement.  

In a May 31 interview, Rodriguez told the Valley Courier that, if he loses the funding he receives to buy NPR content, 40% of his programming will be impacted.  

The bill now heads to the Senate, where Senate Majority Leader John Thune expects a vote to be held in the near future. With only a simple majority required, many predict it will pass. Nonetheless, some senators are raising concerns. 

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska expressed her support for public media in an editorial in the Fairbanks Daily News Miner, saying the loss of funding for public stations in her home state would be "devastating." 

"Not only would a large portion of Alaska communities lose their local programming,” she wrote, “but warning systems for natural disasters, power outages, boil water advisories, and other alerts would be severely hampered. What may seem like a frivolous expense to some has proven to be an invaluable resource that saves lives in Alaska."  

The legislation also included a list of cuts totaling $9.4 billion requested by the Office of Management and Budget. Of that $9.4 billion, $8.3 billion will be cut from foreign aid programs addressing global public health, international disaster assistance and hunger relief.  

Passage of this bill is viewed as the first of many to come that will make DOGE cuts permanent. Bloomberg quotes White House Budget Director Russ Vought as telling House members last week, “It’s very important for it to pass and if it does, it will be worth the effort. Then, we’ll send up additional packages.”