The U.S. Senate is considering whether to claw back $9.4 billion in already-approved funds. That money was going to go for things like medical and other foreign aid, peacekeeping efforts around the world, and $1 billion to fund public radio and television through the Corporation of Public Broadcasting.
Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine says she told the president's budget chief, Russell Vought, there are some proposed cuts she opposes.
"I cannot support the cuts that are so deep ad so damaging in global health programs," Collins told Vought during a Senate hearing. Collins particularly objects to cutting funding for PEPFAR, a George W. Bush administration initiative to help poorer nations combat HIV and AIDS. Collins says the program has saved 20 million lives.
As far as funding for public broadcasting, Collins says she wants to preserve funding approved for public television and public radio stations, like Maine Public's. Collins says in addition to popular programming, Maine Public is an important part of the emergency alert system.
But Collins says NPR has a "partisan bent." Collins says it's "very troubling" that NPR President Katherine Maher has responded to President Donald Trump by using the word "liar," and that she has been pictured wearing a Joe Biden hat.
"NPR should be providing the kind of neutral coverage that Maine Public, for the most part, does provide," Collins says.
Collins says since NPR gets only about $4 million of the $1 billion at issue, she'd like to see funding for public media organizations other than NPR removed from the recission bill.
