Alaska public broadcasting funding cuts have sparked a sharp divide between the state’s two Republican senators during a critical Senate vote. On Wednesday night, the Senate narrowly approved a $9 billion rescission bill, reversing previously approved federal spending, mainly in foreign aid.
The measure includes $1.1 billion in cuts to public broadcasting over two years, which affects more than $20 million set aside for Alaska’s 27 public stations. Senator Dan Sullivan favored the package while Senator Lisa Murkowski opposed it.
Sullivan’s spokesperson, Amanda Coyne, said he had long warned NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that biased reporting could jeopardize public support. Still, Sullivan has supported rural Alaska stations, especially Native-run outlets.
Coyone has been working with other senators and the White House to find alternative funding. Coyne declined to say how much of that funding would go to Alaska or which stations might benefit.
In contrast, Murkowski sharply criticized the bill and its process. She highlighted the Trump administration’s failure to identify which global health programs would face cuts clearly and condemned the cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Late Wednesday night, Murkowski introduced an amendment to protect public media funding, but it failed in a 51-47 vote. She stated that Congress should control federal spending decisions, not the White House’s budget office.
