US lawmakers approves Musk's $9 billion budget cut; NPR, PBS, USAID and more to be affected

1. US lawmakers approves Musk's $9 billion budget cut; NPR, PBS, USAID and more to be affected

US lawmakers approves Musk's $9 billion budget cut; NPR, PBS, USAID and more to be affected AFP | Jun 13, 2025 03:03 AM IST Share Via Copy Link The vote was the first of many to codify a potential series of cuts made by DOGE to the federal budget.

US lawmakers on Thursday approved a White House request to claw back $9.4 billion from funding already allocated by Congress in a victory for President Donald Trump as he pushes to lock in spending cuts spearheaded by tech billionaire Elon Musk.

The text also eliminates $400 million in funding allocated to health programs including the lifesaving PEPFAR global AIDS program, created by then-president George W. Bush.

The package also targets $1.1 billion to be taken back from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps fund National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), as well as more than 1,500 local radio and television stations.

Conservatives often accuse PBS and NPR of bias, and Trump signed an executive order in May to cease federal funding for both networks.

"For decades, Republicans have promised to cut NPR, but have never done it, until now," Trump said on Truth Social as the vote got underway.

"NPR and PBS are a Radical Left Disaster, and 1000% against the Republican Party!"

Democrat Dan Goldman and Republican Mark Amodei, co-chairs of the congressional public broadcasting caucus, said cutting the funding will not meaningfully reduce the deficit, but instead dismantle "a trusted source of information for millions of Americans."

The package now moves to the Republican-led Senate, where it needs the support of only a simple majority -- 51 members -- rather than the 60 votes usually required.