Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee pushed back against the Trump administration’s bid to kill $9 billion in federal funding that Congress already has approved for public broadcasting and international aid programs.

In President Trump’s request to Congress, sent last month, he justified the cuts because the targeted foreign aid programs were “antithetical to American interests,” and because “[f]ederal spending on [the Corporation for Public Broadcasting] subsidizes a public media system that is politically biased and is an unnecessary expense to the taxpayer.”

In a hearing Wednesday, Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who chairs the committee, noted in the case of public broadcasting that 70% of the federal dollars targeted for rescission support local programming and emergency communications. She acknowledged concerns about NPR’s news coverage, which she said “for years has had a discernibly partisan bent.”

“There are, however, more targeted approaches to addressing that bias [at NPR] than rescinding all funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting,” Collins said.

In response to a later question, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought testified that emergency broadcasting services funded by CPB would be safe. He also argued that because the CPB rescission doesn’t apply to the current fiscal year, local stations would have “ample time to adjust” and “they should be more judicious” about whom they pay for content.

Upon further questioning by Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who has come out against the public broadcasting cuts, Vought committed to working with her on funding for rural stations. Yet he reiterated that Republicans have spent years trying to address public funding of content.

Murkowski later gave what she described as
“a little bit of a bird’s eye view” of the public radio situation in Alaska, which includes rural stations that receive up to 70% of their funding from the federal government. She went on to detail the vital services the station supply. “[A]lmost to a number, they’re saying that they will go under if public broadcasting funds are no longer available to them,” she said.

The vast majority of the $9.4 billion in cuts requested by the White House are to foreign aid programs addressing global public health, international disaster assistance and hunger relief.

But the package also includes a cut of nearly $1.1 billion in funding for 2026 and 2027 for CPB. The private nonprofit sends most of that money to local public television and radio stations across the country. PBS receives about 15% of its annual revenue through CPB, while NPR gets about 1% directly. Indirectly, NPR also receives some of the money going to member stations, who pay the network to air its programs.

The rescissions measure narrowly passed the House earlier this month, 214 to 212, with two key Republican lawmakers switching their votes from “no” to “yes” at the last minute to get it over the finish line. The House held a hearing earlier this year at which many Republicans accused PBS and NPR of being woke and biased against conservative viewpoints.

On Wednesday, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the panel’s top Democrat, questioned the legality of the White House’s request. Under the 1974 Impoundment Control Act, both chambers of Congress must approve such a request by a simple majority within 45 days of its submission—in this case, by July 18.

The cuts to CPB would “rip away funding that supports over 1500 local public TV and radio stations,” Murray said.

“Rural communities will be the hardest hit, not to mention our kids,” she said, adding that the cuts threaten “free, high-quality programming that is thoughtfully developed to get our kids thinking and to grow their curiosity.”

NPR in a statement said: “There is no substitute for the direct support and nationwide infrastructure and services funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that enable these noncommercial stations to serve their communities.” In a statement after the House vote this month, PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger said: “Our work is only possible because of the bipartisan support we have always received from Congress, support we have earned by providing services that cannot be replaced by commercial media.”

In one exchange during Wednesday’s hearing, Sen. Murray pressed Vought, saying that public broadcasting and the global HIV/AIDS program known as PEPFAR —an initiative begun in 2003 by President George W. Bush — have both enjoyed bipartisan support in the past.

“Do you believe Congress has been wrong all these years to support them?” she asked.

“I think what’s changed is the nature of how these programs are being implemented,” Vought replied. “While I respect that they once had bipartisan backing, the facts we’ve uncovered show funding being diverted to advocacy and social engineering projects that I don’t believe reflect the values of the American taxpayer. We’re not against medical aid—we’re against the misuse of funds under misleading labels.”

With Democrats united against the bill, the White House can afford to lose no more than three Republican votes. Yet, several Republicans on the committee voiced doubts about the choice before them.

Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell voiced concern over cutting foreign aid programs. He noted that “at a very low cost” the U.S. had “built some pretty good relationships, particularly in countries in the Middle East that certainly wouldn’t be described as democratic.”

“Reforming the way we invest in peace and stability is certainly worthwhile. And there’s plenty of absolute nonsense masquerading as American aid that shouldn’t receive another bit of taxpayer funding,” he said. “But the administration’s attempt to root it out has been unnecessarily chaotic. In critical corners of the globe, instead of creating efficiencies, you’ve created vacuums for adversaries like China to fill.”

Collins was among several senators who expressed frustration with the administration over the rescission request. “What is unusual here is to have a rescission sent up without consultation with the committee that applies to funding that was in the continuing resolution which the president signed into law,” she said, adding that the “legitimate examples” of waste all dated to the Biden administration.

Disclosure: This story was reported and written by NPR Reporter Scott Neuman with reporting from NPR Congressional Correspondent Deirdre Walsh. It was edited by Deputy Business Editor Emily Kopp and Managing Editors Gerry Holmes and Vickie Walton-James. Under NPR’s protocol for reporting on itself, no NPR corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly.

Bad news if you are planning a road trip this summer.

Gas prices at the pump in California will likely jump in July, the result of a state sales tax hike and stricter rules on refineries to encourage them to create lower-carbon fuels. The combined increases could boost gas prices by nearly 70 cents, although industry experts said they can’t estimate the exact price of a gallon of gas for next month.

Californians and drivers nationwide typically see a spike in fuel prices during the month of June but the oil supply market is currently outweighing demand, leading to slightly cheaper prices compared to 2024, according to the American Automobile Assn.

As of Wednesday, the current average for the state is $4.64 per gallon compared to $4.81 on the same day last year, a 17-cent decrease.

Even though forecasters predict global oil inventories will increase over the next five months, relieving pressure on oil prices, California consumers won’t feel the expected continued reprieve next month.

On July 1, California’s gas and diesel excise tax will increase to 61.2 cents per gallon, from the current rate of 59.6 cents per gallon, according to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Diesel fuel will also increase from 45.4 to 46.6 cents per gallon.

The state adjusts its fuel tax rates based on data from the Department of Finance annually and the new rate goes into effect on July 1 of each year.

This isn’t the only factor that will drive up gas prices this summer.

In 2024, California Air Resources Board approved amendments to the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard program that was established in 2011 with two goals in mind: shifting the state’s fuel dependence toward lower-carbon fuels and helping the state reach the goal of cutting fuel use by 49% by 2045.

The approved amendments are meant to incentivize the value of lower-carbon fuel and impose stricter limits on carbon intensity fuels so gasoline producers are encouraged to create less-polluting fuels.

But that extra cost to comply with the new regulations will be passed onto motorists at the pump.

Last year, CARB estimated the amendments could raise gasoline prices by 47 cents a gallon, or $6.4 billion a year. Months later the agency walked back its estimate and said it would not provide the public with a revised one.

The agency previously told The Times that no new numbers will be forthcoming because “what we are not equipped to do is analyze what the effect would be on retail gasoline prices,” it instead analyzes economic growth, job creation and public health.

Danny Cullenward, vice chair of the California’s Independent Emissions Market Advisory Committee, estimated that near-term affects from the program amendments on gas prices could be an additional 65 cents a gallon this year, $0.85 per gallon by 2030, and nearly $1.50 per gallon by 2035.

AAA said it doesn’t have an estimate yet on how the amendments to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard program will affect gas prices next month, “especially with the recent drop in oil prices.”

“If those stay low, the impact could be smaller,” said Gianella Ghiglino, spokesperson for AAA of Southern California.

Drivers won’t be able to avoid the price hike at the pump in California but there are ways to locate gasoline stations with the cheapest prices.

How to find cheaper gas near you

There are several apps and websites that can help you find lower prices near your traveling route.

• The Auto Club app for AAA members shows the closest gas stations that are charging the lowest price, anywhere in the United States.
• Its app and its website, Gasbuddy, displays real-time pump prices near you.
• The Gas Guru app can search for gas stations by price, fuel grade and distance, as well as show prices in your area.
• Mapquest, Google Maps and Waze have a feature that enables you to see gas prices on the route of your trip.