#rescission

The House has approved a Trump administration plan to rescind $9 billion in previously allocated funds, including $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) — a move that cuts all federal support for NPR, PBS and their member stations — and about $7 billion in foreign aid.

The vote of 216-to-213 included all but two Republicans in favor of the cuts. The bill goes next to President Trump for his signature.

Lydia O'Connor at HuffPost:

President Donald Trump asked Congress on Tuesday to rescind more than $9 billion in funding it already approved for public broadcasters, foreign aid and global health efforts, taking aim at those initiatives as “wasteful” and “woke.” The requested cuts are part of a process known as rescission, in which the president can ask Congress to remove funding commitments from the budget. “They have 45 days to codify these massive cuts to woke, wasteful, and weaponized spending via a simple majority vote,” the White House Office of Management and Budget said in a statement. The single biggest cut Trump is requesting is a $1.1 billion funding commitment to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. Leaders of both news outlets said the rescission would strip Americans of vital sources of information while cutting very little in costs. “This rescission would have a negligible impact on reducing the deficit and provide little-to-no savings for taxpayers, yet it would harm all Americans, shutting off access to local news, national reporting, music and regional culture, and emergency alerting,” NPR’s CEO Katherine Maher said in a lengthy statement. [...] Other requested cuts include millions to the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, a Bush-era program credited with saving 25 million lives.

All of Rocky’s lines except for “bleh” are:

Take the Plunge

Wha? Hi, SB!

Whee! Oof! 

Hi, TB! My good old friend. 

Rescission

Jan. 29, 2025, 11:05 AM MST / Updated Jan. 29, 2025, 1:07 PM MST

By Sahil Kapur, Peter Alexander and Kate Santaliz

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday rescinded an order putting a widespread freeze on most federal grants and loans amid significant criticism, according to a new White House memo a source provided to NBC News.

A senior administration official confirmed the rescission Wednesday, which was ordered by the Office of Management and Budget.

Public Media Cuts, Trump And Fed Chair, Israel Strikes Syria Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. Today’s top stories The Senate approved legislation early this morning to rescind $9 billion in federal funding for NPR, PBS, their member stations and…

Trudy Ring at The Advocate:

Far-right congressional Republicans have accused the Public Broadcasting Service of “grooming” children with a Sesame Street post on X for LGBTQ+ Pride Month. “On our street, everyone is welcome,” the post reads. “Together, let’s build a world where every person and family feels loved and respected for who they are. Happy #PrideMonth!” It went up Sunday. The Republican Study Committee, which bills itself on its website as “the conservative conscience of Congress,” responded Monday with a meme of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, and the words “I am once again asking PBS to stop grooming children.” It wasn’t clear why the group chose Sanders, except perhaps for his progressive views. The exchange was first reported by The Hill, which sought comment from PBS, Sanders, and the Republican Study Committee but received no responses.

Individual Republican Congress members denouncing PBS for the post include U.S. Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois, who shared the Sesame Street post on her X feed and wrote, “PBS is shamelessly grooming our children while collecting taxpayer dollars. This is evil and should infuriate every parent in America. DEFUND!!” Miller has also introduced a resolution to declare June Family Month instead of Pride Month. Sesame Street has been a beacon of inclusivity, often sending out Pride messages. It has frequently featured entertainers from the LGBTQ+ community, such as Ian McKellen, Brandi Carlile, and Billy Porter. A 2021 episode called “Family Day” had actors playing a gay couple and their daughter. Plus there’s the ongoing debate about whether popular puppets Bert and Ernie are lovers or platonic friends. And right-wingers have previously lambasted the program for its inclusion.