Trump asked Congress to claw back funding for PBS and NPR. What now?

America’s two big public broadcasters, PBS and NPR, have 45 days to salvage their federal funding — starting now.

America’s two big public broadcasters, PBS and NPR, have 45 days to salvage their federal funding — starting now. On Tuesday, the Trump administration sent Congress a long-awaited request for lawmakers to cancel more than $1 billion in federal funds earmarked for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity that disburses taxpayer funds to local NPR and PBS stations across the country. The request, known as a “rescission package,” starts a 45-day clock for Congress to either approve or ignore the proposal. Rescinding the funds only requires a simple majority, which means in this case that no Democratic votes are needed. However, Republicans only have slim majorities in both the House and Senate, and public media executives are cautiously hopeful that they can convince some Republican moderates to ignore the White House’s proposal, thereby killing it. White House budget director Russ Vought said on Fox News Tuesday afternoon that the House will be “putting this on the floor next week.” Vought also warned, “If it doesn’t pass, we have to then release the funds and it has to be spent.”