JACKSON, WY — Federal funding for Wyoming PBS and Wyoming Public Media could take a major hit if a new spending recissions bill backed by Wyoming’s congressional delegation becomes law. The bill, which cleared committee and moved to the U.S. Senate floor Tuesday, aims to claw back over $1.1 billion from publicly funded media, including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and has ignited a fierce debate over bias, budget priorities, and the future of public broadcasting in the Cowboy State.
Wyoming’s U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis both voted to advance the bill, which would eliminate CPB funding for the next two fiscal years. Vice President JD Vance cast two tiebreaking votes to push the measure forward after a 50-50 Senate deadlock.
If passed by the Senate, the bill would return to the House, which already approved it in June with an “aye” vote from Rep. Harriet Hageman for reconciliation.
‘Bias’ or Budget Reform?
In interviews with Cowboy State Daily, both Barrasso and Lummis pointed to what they describe as a long-standing left-wing bias in national public media.
“National PBS and NPR stations have failed to meet [standards of unbiased reporting],” Barrasso said. “Taxpayers are right to want real value for their hard-earned money.”
Lummis echoed that sentiment during an appearance on Cowboy State Daily’s “Morning Show with Jake,” saying, “Taxpayer money should not be spent for a biased news service.”
National Context
Though the bill doesn’t specifically target PBS or NPR, CPB funding often flows to those entities via local station dues. CPB also occasionally grants funds directly to projects, such as deploying a reporter to Ukraine.
The timing of this bill has reignited scrutiny of NPR’s 2020 decision not to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story, something even NPR’s own CEO has since called a “mistake.” Still, the organization insists it is committed to serving all Americans and welcomes feedback.
What’s Next?
The bill is racing against a Friday deadline to reach the president’s desk. In addition to the public media cuts, it includes over $8 billion in cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), targeting programs that Sen. Lummis criticized as funding “queer global movements, Palestinian media organizations, or LGBTQI+ groups in the Western Balkans.”
“This recession package is just common sense,” Lummis said. “The failed status quo that is bankrupting this country cannot be allowed to continue.”
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