WASHINGTON—Congress passed a measure late last night cutting over $1 billion in federal support for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting (CPB). The measure rescinds nearly $1.1 billion previously allocated by Congress to the CPB, which distributes funds to National Public Radio (NPR), PBS, and local public stations. In May, NPR and local public radio organizations filed a lawsuit in federal court over President Trump’s executive order that aims to end federal funding for NPR and PBS, saying it violates the Constitution and the First Amendment.

The following can be attributed to Katie Fallow, deputy litigation director at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University:

“Congress’ decision to cut over a billion dollars in support for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting undermines the First Amendment's marketplace of ideas by threatening to eliminate a vital source of independent, non-commercial journalism that serves the general public and covers stories often ignored by profit-driven media. Congress’s action comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s executive order targeting federal funding for public broadcasters in retaliation for those broadcasters’ editorial decisions and viewpoints, and taken together, these efforts will stifle critical viewpoints and leave the public with fewer sources of independent journalism.”

The following can be attributed to Nadine Farid Johnson, policy director at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University: 

“Established by Congress, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has existed since before the Watergate era to facilitate access to independent public media free from political interference. Its role in providing access to information, particularly as news deserts proliferate across the country, is more important now than ever. With its acquiescence to the administration’s ongoing efforts to cow the press by stripping funding to the CPB, Congress has abdicated its role as arbiter of public spending and undermined Americans’ access to vital information and programming.”

In June, the Knight Institute released an episode of its podcast, “The Bully’s Pulpit: Trump v. The First Amendment,” focused on the administration’s efforts to defund CPB. The episode features the Institute’s policy director, Nadine Farid Johnson, and the executive director of Colorado-based public radio station KSUT, Tami Graham.  Listen to the episode here.