Latest news with #Republican-controlled
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ken Burns: Public media funding cuts ‘shortsighted'
Ken Burns, a documentary filmmaker and director whose work is often published on PBS, criticized Congress's elimination of $1.1 billion of federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). 'I think we're all in a bit of a state of a shock and also sort of reeling at the shortsightedness of it all,' Burns said Friday to PBS 'News Hour' host William Brangham. 'And what's so shortsighted about it, I think, is that this affects mostly rural communities or the hardest hit,' he added. On Thursday, the Republican-controlled House sent a rescissions bill to President Trump's desk; the bill aims to defund $9 billion in federal funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development and public media. Trump is expected to sign the bill Friday, along with other legislative wins for the administration. More than 40 of Burns's documentaries aired on PBS and were funded up to 20 percent by the government. However, he says others will suffer even more with projects that were previously financed by up to 75 percent with government dollars. The impact on small, local news stations will also be felt across the country, he continued. 'And you begin to see the way in which, particularly in those small rural markets, the PBS station is really like the public library. It's one of those important institutions. It may be the only place where people have access to local news, that the local station is going to the city council meeting,' Burns said. Local media is already degrading, according to a Rebuild Local News and MuckRack report, which stated that 1 in 3 counties in the U.S. don't have a local journalist. News stations in rural America will be hit the hardest; however, even stations in large cities depend on federal funding. It was a tight battle in Congress to pass the bill. Multiple Republicans, including Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (Maine) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), voiced opposition against it. 'Some colleagues claim they are targeting 'radical leftist organizations' with these cuts, but in Alaska, these are simply organizations dedicated to their communities,' Murkowski posted on social platform X. Loyal MAGA Republicans, however, are celebrating this win by calling PBS and NPR biased. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Tuesday, 'This is in our view the misuse of taxpayer dollars. They're biased reporting; they're not objective. They pretend to be so. And the people don't need to fund that.' Burns said he will continue his work despite the changes. 'We will scramble. We will have to make it up. I'm confident that, with the extra work, it will happen,' he said of making up the loss of funding. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
USA Today
a day ago
- Business
- USA Today
Congress passed Trump's spending cuts. What does that mean for their power of the purse?
A drama-filled week in DC saw Democrats accuse Republicans ceding Congress' power to Trump and a curveball involving Jeffrey Epstein. WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump is racking up legislative wins with the help of a Republican-controlled Congress. Not without a touch of drama and complaining, though. Republicans in the House and Senate this week approved $9 billion worth of spending cuts, targeted at public broadcasting and foreign aid programs, sending the bill on to Trump's desk for his signature into law. Made at Trump's request, the canceling of federal funding represents just a slice of the almost $200 billion the Department of Government Efficiency, once spearheaded by Elon Musk, claims to have cut from the federal budget. More: Rural PBS stations could bear brunt of public media cuts. Just ask those in Kansas Still, agencies like the World Health Organization and U.S. Agency for International Development, who use federal grants to support things like global health initiatives and peacekeeping efforts, will feel the impacts. The cuts could also be a potential death knell for local PBS and NPR stations across the country, who rely heavily on government funds to keep the lights on and the public in the know. For Trump, the legislative victory represents an unusual ceding of authority from one branch of the U.S. government to another, as Congress typically tightly guards its Constitutionally-given power of the purse rather than taking the lead from the White House. Adding to the intrigue: Republican leadership faced a big challenge in trying to advance the Trump-requested package of spending cuts while dealing with an unrelated series of other topics − namely Jeffrey Epstein − that cast a shadow over everything on Capitol Hill. Here are three key takeaways from this rare congressional scene. Pickpocketing the power of the purse Congress previously approved the specific spending totals that they just clawed back in a bill that Trump signed into law in March. The decision to then revoke $9 billion (a relatively small amount in the scope of the $1.6 trillion federal budget) is rare and unusual. The last time the legislative branch made such a move was in 1999, when Democratic President Bill Clinton was nearing the end of his second term. More: Lawmakers warn Trump he can't 'pick and choose' what to spend from funding bill The Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse, a privilege and responsibility its elected lawmakers protect fiercely. Democrats have accused their Republican colleagues of ceding that power to the president with measures like the recent spending cuts, as well as a sweeping tax, spending and policy bill passed earlier in July at Trump's urging. They also see it as a winning issue on the campaign trail next year. 'This is absolutely going to frame the 2026 election,' Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, told USA TODAY earlier this month. 'They have decided to cave in completely to Donald Trump and the wishes of the billionaire class. More: Dismantling agencies and firing workers: How Trump is redefining relations with Congress and courts Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, defended the move in an interview with Politico. "The rescissions process," he said, referring to the action taken this week, "actually considers the legislature's role in what the executive branch is identifying as waste, fraud and abuse, and that's what we're doing right now." How Jeffrey Epstein factored into debate An entirely unrelated debate threatened to derail the process of the House approving the spending cuts. Lawmakers were facing a July 18 midnight deadline to see the rescissions legislation pass through Congress, otherwise the federal funding would need to be spent as mandated by law. But moving quickly became a challenge as Trump and his MAGA base started sparring over the Justice Department's Epstein case file review, a fight that spilled into the halls of Congress and took Republicans' attention away from the impending spending vote. With the deadline fast approaching, a key House committee eventually came to an agreement to placate its Republican members, at least for the time being, without angering Trump, who has asked his supporters to move on from the heated issue. House Republicans crafted a non-binding resolution, meaning if passed Trump and his administration would not be required to comply, calling for the release of files related to Epstein's case. GOP leadership has not indicated when or if this resolution would come up for a vote on the House floor. More spending fights to come Trump and the GOP can expect more headaches as Congress tackles additional spending debates before year's end. Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought suggested midweek there may be more spending cuts to come. "There is still a great enthusiasm" for these bills, Vought said at a July 17 event. Speaking to reporters on July 18, deputy White House chief of staff James Blair said some of the items in the White House sights include "everything that just doesn't come aboard with the president's agenda, that doesn't make sense, really just taxpayer waste." But even Republican senators, already weary from this week's process, have warned that they would want the White House to provide much more detail in any future proposals. "I hope this is just a warm up for what should be tens of billions of dollars worth of rescissions," Thom Tillis said July 15, before the Senate vote. "I think we need to get it right." There is also the looming prospect of a government shutdown, if Congress does not act in time to pass its annual appropriations bills before a September 30 deadline. With both chambers out for recess through August, Republicans have less than six weeks to make it happen. It will require bipartisan support, a daunting task given partisan tension that were only heightened by the recent spending cut process and ongoing complaints against passing a continuing resolution as the alternative.
The Hill
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Ken Burns: Public media funding cuts ‘shortsighted'
Ken Burns, a documentary filmmaker and director whose work is often published on PBS, criticized Congress's elimination of $1.1 billion of federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). 'I think we're all in a bit of a state of a shock and also sort of reeling at the shortsightedness of it all,' Burns said to PBS host William Brangham on Friday. 'And what's so shortsighted about it, I think, is that this affects mostly rural communities or the hardest hit,' he added. On Thursday, the Republican-controlled House sent the rescissions bill to President Trump's desk which aims to defund $9 billion in federal funding for USAID and public media. Trump is expected to sign the bill on Friday, along with other legislative wins for the administration. Burns has had over 40 documentaries air on PBS, which were funded up to 20 percent by the government. However, he says others will suffer even more with projects that were previously financed by up to 75 percent with government dollars. The impact on small, local news stations will also be felt across the country, he continued. 'And you begin to see the way in which, particularly in those small rural markets, the PBS station is really like the public library. It's one of those important institutions. It may be the only place where people have access to local news, that the local station is going to the city council meeting,' Burns said. Local media is already degrading, according to a Rebuild Local News and MuckRack report, which stated that one in three counties in the U.S. don't have a local journalist. News stations in rural America will be hit the hardest; however, even stations in large cities depend on federal funding. It was a tight battle in Congress to pass the bill. Multiple Republicans, including Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), voiced opposition against it. 'Some colleagues claim they are targeting 'radical leftist organizations' with these cuts, but in Alaska, these are simply organizations dedicated to their communities,' Murkowski posted on the social platform X. Loyal MAGA Republicans, however, are celebrating this win by calling PBS and NPR biased. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on July 15, 'This is in our view the misuse of taxpayer dollars. They're biased reporting; they're not objective. They pretend to be so. And the people don't need to fund that.' Burns said he will continue his work despite the changes. 'We will scramble. We will have to make it up. I'm confident that, with the extra work, it will happen,' he said of making up the loss of funding.
a day ago
- Politics
Texas Republicans might redraw congressional maps. Democrats plan to strike back
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's recent decision to consider redrawing his state's congressional districts mid-decade, which could eke out more seats for the Republican Party, has prompted Democrats to issue new threats to draw Republicans out of seats in blue states. Redistricting plans are expected during an upcoming special session, which will begin on July 21, interspersed into an agenda focused on flood preparation and relief after major flooding in central Texas. The special session can only last a maximum of 30 days. The Republican-controlled state legislature drew the current map in 2021, which was set to remain in effect until 2031. President Donald Trump's political operation floated the prospect last month, in efforts to shore up the GOP's fragile House majority, to tepid responses from the state's Congressional delegation. Yet, just this week, Trump rubber-stamped the effort, and wants his party to pick up five seats if Texas redraws its Congressional maps. He suggested that there "could be" other states that follow suit. He did not specify which states. State Republicans have some prior precedent of shifting things around— in 2003, Texas Republicans attempted to tweak their districts mid-cycle. In trying to thwart the effort, around 50 Democrats at the time fled to neighboring Oklahoma, denying the session a quorum, and paralyzing the legislative session. Even still, the Democrats were only able to delay talks and Republicans eventually successfully redistricted that session. Democrats are pushing back. On Monday, state lawmakers held a call with U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, and former Attorney General Eric Holder regarding the special session. They did not directly encourage members to stage a walkout, a source who was on that call told ABC News. Still, the source added the state House members are continuing to keep all their options open. California's Gov. Gavin Newsom is being more explicit – telling the Pod Save America podcast that he has spoken to state lawmakers about calling a special session to begin making changes to state law in order to redraw their districts in response to Abbott. "If we're gonna play fair in a world that is wholly unfair, we may have the higher moral ground, but the ground is shifting from underneath us. And I think we have to wake up to that reality," Newsom said. California has an independent redistricting commission intended to prevent gerrymandering, but Paul Mitchell, an elections and redistricting expert, said Newsom could go around the commission either by getting voters' approval on a ballot measure in a special election or by arguing in court. A potential ballot measure could halt the commission's authority to draw congressional districts until other states began using similar commissions, and "could all be done in time for the next election" without legal issues. The biggest uncertainty in this scenario would be whether or not voters would support it. Alternatively, Newsom could argue the commission only has authority over decade-end redistricting, but the legislature can still redistrict mid-decade. Mitchell said it was a coin toss whether the California Supreme Court would uphold this argument. Jeffries huddled with California's congressional delegation to discuss the prospect Wednesday, a source familiar said. Experts suggested to ABC that other Democratic-held states could follow California's lead, such as New York, Maryland or Illinois, but it's unclear if there would be a significant strategic advantage. Marina Jenkins, the executive director Holder's National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said in a statement that Republicans are trying to "suppress votes" and believes an "an immediate avalanche of lawsuits" will come if the maps are redrawn. "This moment requires all hands on deck to stop them," said Jenkins. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation, and Rep. Pete Aguilar, Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, stated in a joint announcement that Texas' "egregious" redistricting attempts "cannot go unanswered." A spokesperson for Abbott, asked about such accusations, wrote, "While partisan activists focus solely on political issues, Governor Abbott is dedicated to delivering results on issues important to Texans," including flood relief. Chad Wilbanks, a Republican strategist and former Texas GOP executive director, told ABC News, "The Republicans I talk to are very supportive of a mid-decade redistricting." He thinks that the GOP could gain at least three seats thanks to population changes in the state. Wilbanks dismissed Democrats' claim that the redistricting gambit is politically motivated as "standard politics." Democrats are going on offense regardless. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the campaign arm of House Democrats, made a verbal commitment to Texas Congressional Democrats to invest six figures to support digital ads and other actions to pressure Republicans over redistricting attempts, a source close to the committee told ABC News. Martin traveled to Texas on Friday at the invitation of state Democrats to strategize on next steps. "If Texas Republicans want a showdown, we will give them a showdown," Martin said in a statement.
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Florida Democrats file bill to block federal funds to Alligator Alcatraz
Florida's Democratic congressional delegation has introduced legislation aimed at shutting down the controversial immigration detention center in the Everglades. Dubbed the 'No Cages in the Everglades Act,' the six-page bill is led by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston. It aims to ban the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement from operating or funding the detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz, or any other 'immigration detention facility located within or adjacent to the Everglades ecosystem.' The bill also seeks to increase transparency and federal oversight of immigration detention centers nationwide. 'Trump and Ron DeSantis have exploited legal ambiguity around this Everglades internment camp to avoid any scrutiny of abuses there,' said Wasserman Schultz in an statement. 'Our bill would shut down this atrocity, strengthen oversight of detention facilities nationwide, and mandate public reporting on costs, conditions, and the treatment of detainees, as well as report on any harms to the environment and nearby tribal lands.' Wasserman Schultz is joined by fellow Florida Democrats Reps. Kathy Castor, Frederica Wilson, Lois Frankel, Darren Soto, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Maxwell Frost and Jared Moskowitz. The bill is unlikely to gain traction in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. The facility — operated and funded by Florida's state government, with the expectation of federal reimbursement — has drawn sharp criticism from environmental advocates, Miccosukee tribal leaders and human rights groups, who call it both inhumane and ecologically disastrous. Multiple reports allege detainees are being held in unsafe, unsanitary conditions without access to clean water, medical care or legal support. Florida's Division of Emergency Management, which is overseeing the detention center, says those stories are false. READ MORE: Miccosukee Tribe moves to join environmental lawsuit against Alligator Alcatraz The detention center sits on an airstrip on the edge of the Big Cypress National Preserve, a protected wilderness area that is home to endangered species. The bill coincides with a rapidly growing MoveOn Civic Action petition demanding the immediate closure of the Everglades detention camp. The petition has now surpassed 43,000 signatures, amplifying public pressure on state and federal officials. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick emphasized the broader moral stakes of the legislation. 'No one should be subjected to unsafe, degrading treatment, and we cannot meet these injustices with silence or symbolic gestures. We have a moral responsibility to act decisively,' Cherfilus-McCormick said. 'Every person in our custody deserves dignity, safety, and basic human rights.' The legislation has garnered support from major human rights and immigration organizations, including the ACLU, Detention Watch Network, Church World Service and the National Immigration Law Center. The bill comes just days after Wasserman Schultz, Moskowitz and Frost visited the facility alongside Florida state representatives. The visit followed complaints by detainees and attorneys about conditions inside and a lack of transparency. During the visit, Frost said they were denied permission to speak with any detainees, without explanation. Republicans who took the tour said the facility was clean and properly run. The Florida Division of Emergency Management and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment.
