Despite the fact that their political correspondents were consumed by suddenly being concerned with a president’s health and their gleeful Epstein coverage, one would have thought ABC, CBS, and NBC could have still found time to go full Chicken Little about the House’s final passage of the $9 billion rescissions package that included a $1 billion clawback of funding to far-left PBS and NPR.
But, alas, they more or less whistled past the graveyard and moved on, spending only a combined one minute and 48 seconds on the vote to defund PBS and NPR, a battle the left had won for nearly 60 years while we at the Media Research Center emerged as the victor in this multi-generational war. As we’ll see, however, the real number was more like 94 seconds.
Usually the ones to be the most hysterical, ABC’s Good Morning America was the most sedate. Co-host George Stephanopoulos had the only tease across the three networks: “New overnight, the $9 billion package passed by Congress that cuts funding to foreign aid and public broadcasting.”
Stephanopoulos was even more vague in going to congressional correspondent Jay O’Brien, alluding to both the rescission as well as one about cryptocurrency. Minus the five-second lead-in, this was the 28 seconds O’Brien had on the former (vs. 48 seconds on the crypto bill):
In a major win for President Trump, the House overnight narrowly passing this White House request to claw back $9 billion in funds Congress already approved and, in some cases, DOGE then cut, including billions in foreign aid and slashing $1 billion from public broadcasters like NPR and PBS. President Trump celebrating in a post this morning. And, after this bill also cleared the Senate, it's now heading to his desk to be signed just before today's deadline, George.
Shifting to CBS Mornings, the rescissions package’s final passaged fetched its own news brief, tallying 25 seconds. Unfortunately, only 16 seconds of that was on the rescissions package itself with the rest focused on Epstein. Here was co-host Tony Dokoupil:
On Capitol Hill overnight, House Republicans approved $9 billion in budget cuts for foreign and – foreign aid and public broadcasting that the Senate okayed on Wednesday. President Trump demanded the cuts. They were originally identified by Elon Musk's DOGE task force. The House did not vote, we should mention, on a resolution attached to the budget package that calls on the Justice Department to release more information from the Epstein files.
NBC’s Today followed the same script as ABC as the PBS and NPR mention was tacked on as a partial segment for a total of 50 seconds.
“Ryan, while we have you here, let's talk about another headline out of Washington overnight. The House passing those major spending cuts for foreign aid and public media. What more can you tell us about that,” asked co-host Craig Melvin to Capital Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles.
Nobles replied the passage came “past night” with “[t]he House approving a package to roll back $8 billion in already approved funding for foreign aid programs and then an additional $1.1 billion to cuts to public media.”
He added that “while Republicans are selling this as a slash to wasteful spending, Democrats are slamming the cuts as cruel” and “NPR also responding that millions of Americans, particularly in rural areas who rely on local public radio and TV, will be impacted.”
To his credit, he admitted this is something that’s “been 40 years in the making.”
To see the relevant transcripts from July 18, click here (for ABC), here (for CBS), and here (for NBC).
