06.03.25

Senator Murray Statement on Trump’s Rescission Request to Congress

 

Trump asks Congress to rip away funding 1500+ local TV and radio stations count on and key bipartisan investments in America’s global leadership

 

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on President Trump’s request to Congress to rescind $9.4 billion in previously enacted funding:

 

“After linking arms with Elon Musk to take a chainsaw to key programs the American people count on, President Trump is now asking Republicans in Congress to rubberstamp his DOGE cuts and codify them into law.

 

“Trump wants Congress to vote to cut off public radio broadcasts our constituents count on for weather forecasts, emergency alerts, and updates on what’s going on in their community—and force layoffs at local TV stations. And he wants us to rip away lifesaving humanitarian aid, slash PEPFAR and other efforts to combat infectious diseases, and gut programs that enhance U.S. competitiveness, support American business, and counter the Chinese government’s influence. No way.

 

“This is also just the beginning: Trump plans to come back for more if Republicans codify Trump’s cuts into law. This go around, it’s investments in America’s global leadership and support for over 1,500 local public radio and TV stations that are especially important in rural communities. Next time, it might be funding for cancer research or to help working families afford their energy bills this summer.

 

“Congress must reject Trump’s request to cut off local news broadcasts and weaken our national security.

 

“It must also be said: in asking Congress to rescind some of the funding he has been illegally blocking for months, Trump is conceding what we’ve known all along: that Congress—not the President—must approve the rescission or withholding of investments that were signed into law.”

 

President Trump’s request to use a fast-tracked process to rescind federal funding with a simple majority in each chamber would claw back critical funding that Congress has provided on a bipartisan basis. The fast-tracked process is provided by the Impoundment Control Act (the same law President Trump and his budget director Russ Vought claim is unconstitutional). Under the law, if a bill rescinding some or all of the funding is not passed within 45 days of continuous session, the President must release the funding.

 

President Trump, of course, has already flagrantly refused to release huge swaths of funding approved by Congress, defying federal law. Earlier today, Senator Murray and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro released an updated tracker chronicling the funding President Trump is holding up—detailing at least $425 billion in funding blocked that is owed to the American people. Over the weekend, Vought vowed to continue impounding funding, as well.

 

The President’s rescissions request asks Congress to claw back $9.4 billion in support for local public radio and TV stations and key national security investments, including:

 

  • $1.07 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
    • CUTTING OFF LOCAL BROADCASTS: Rescinding $1.07 billion in CPB funding already approved by Congress would mean the abrupt end of promised federal support for more than 1,500 public media stations that deliver free, high-quality television, radio, and digital programming to nearly all Americans. This loss of funds could cause stations most dependent on CPB funding to curtail or cease operations altogether, and end the near-universal access to public media that is currently available. Choosing to rescind these funds Congress agreed to provide to CPB on an advance-funded basis would break from a half-century, bipartisan agreement to invest in the financial health and independence of public broadcasting.
    • RURAL AMERICANS: Rescinding this funding would hit the 120 stations in rural areas that rely on CPB funds for 25% or more of their station revenue particularly hard—weakening access to public media for Americans in rural areas.
    • EMERGENCY WARNINGS: Rescinding the funding would also mean the loss of CPB support for critical emergency warning systems that keep communities safe. Local public media stations provide lifesaving public safety communications, ranging from early earthquake and hurricane warnings to Amber Alerts to presidential messages to the American people in times of national emergency, in partnership with federal, state and local authorities. The CPB-supported Public Radio Satellite System connects over 1,300 public radio stations for the distribution of programming, which also enables national emergency alerting. Without public radio, state and local governments would have to decide between funding replacement emergency alert systems on their own or risk people’s access to life-saving information. The Public Broadcasting Service Warning, Alert, Response Network also serves as a critical backup for the Wireless Emergency Alert System, enabling short message warnings to be issued from geo-targeted cell phone towers directly to a nearby user’s mobile device.
    • EDUCATIONAL TOOL FOR KIDS: Rescinding this funding would also curtail key educational tools for students. It would end federal support for PBS LearningMedia, a free digital learning website accessed by more than 1.4 million users each month, which supports teachers and helps students learn and understand complex concepts.

 

  • $1.3 billion for humanitarian assistance, including emergency food needs, shelter, and other commodities that help stabilize conflict and disaster-stricken populations and stabilize partner governments.

  

  • $900 million for global health programs, including:
    • $400 million for PEPFAR; and
    • $500 million for other global health programs, which include efforts to combat malaria, TB, Polio, and other infectious diseases.

 

  •  $1 billion for assessed and voluntary contributions to the UN, which includes:
    • Our treaty dues to the UN budget and UN peacekeeping, which increases burden sharing, ensures U.S. influence in international organizations that set global standards on AI, transportation, other priority sectors, and combats a trend of PRC increased financing intended to expand its influence.
    • Voluntary contributions to organizations like UNICEF.

 

  • $4.9 billion in economic and development assistance, which includes:
    • Funding for digital and cybersecurity, the Counter PRC Influence Fund, critical mineral supply chain diversification, support to partners in the Indo-Pacific to address their adaptation and economic growth priorities, food security programs, support to U.S. businesses abroad, efforts to address irregular migration in our hemisphere, and many other bipartisan initiatives.

 

  • $64 million for the U.S. African Development Foundation, U.S. Institute of Peace, and Inter-American Foundation, which continue to win lawsuits against their illegal dismantling by DOGE and carry out low-cost initiatives that advance bipartisan interests.

 

  • $125 million for the Clean Tech Fund through the Treasury Department, which has helped critical partners in the Indo-Pacific meet their energy diversification goals and created opportunities for American businesses in developing countries.

 

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