US House gives final OK to $9B clawback of public broadcasting, foreign aid funds
- Mark Sabbatini
- Jul 17
- 3 min read
Cut sought by Trump will affect one-third of KTOO’s operating budget, station officials say
A $9 billion clawback of federal funds for foreign aid and public broadcasting, which KTOO in Juneau says provides one-third of its operational funding, got final congressional approval at the behest of President Donald Trump on Thursday night.
The 216-213 vote by the U.S. House came on the same night KTOO hosted a community barbecue at Riverside Rotary Park as part of its efforts to help nearby residents prepare for a possible glacial outburst flood during the coming weeks. Station officials told attendees efforts are ongoing to provide preparatory information, opportunities to talk to local emergency agency officials, and around-the-clock updates to residents if a flood occurs.
"I’d like to say that for tonight we're whole and we're doing our best to keep you connected to the news you need to be safe, to be informed and to be a community," said Claire Stremple, KTOO’s managing editor, in welcoming remarks to the crowd.
Stremple, in an interview, said she doesn’t know yet specifically how the rescission of funds will affect KTOO’s newsroom staffing and operations. The station’s board of directors has a Finance Committee meeting scheduled at noon Tuesday, July 22, and a full board meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7, where the impacts are expected to be considered.
But the station — and other public broadcasters in Alaska and across the U.S. — have been issuing dire warnings about the impacts of the clawback initiated by Trump, who has stated he wants to end all federal funding for public broadcasting.
Alaska stations in particular are emphasizing how public media outlets often are the only access to emergency communications for residents in remote villages, and those communities have in recent years been hit with major storms, floods and other events resulting in fatalities and federal disaster declarations.
"We're forced to make incredibly challenging decisions in the weeks ahead," KTOO President and General Manager Justin Shoman wrote in a prepared statement read by Stremple at the gathering. "We will navigate these waters with a focus on maintaining key services and appropriately scaling them to ensure financial sustainability. All decisions will be made with an eye toward rebuilding our capacity for community service in the future."
"Journalism in America is under threat. Paywalls are rising and local newsrooms are shuttering all too often. Misinformation is filling the void. With federal funding for public media eliminated, this threat has tipped into a crisis, especially in Alaska."
The House vote — which came after midnight Eastern Daylight Time in Washington, D.C. — was almost entirely along party lines with two Republicans joining Democrats in opposing the measure (Alaska’s lone member, Republican Nick Begich III, voted in favor).
The bill passed the Senate 51-48 in another overnight skirmish that ended Thursday morning, with Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine joining Democrats in opposition. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) voted in favor of the bill.
The bill rescinds about $8 billion Congress previously approved in foreign aid programs, and $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Republicans in particular have sought public broadcasting cuts for many years, claiming programming on those stations is liberally biased.
Trump is expected to sign the bill Friday. Earlier this year he issued an executive order to effectively dismantle Voice of America and other international broadcasters that rely on congressionally appropriated funds.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
