Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) are blasting congressional Republicans and the Trump administration over a proposal to rescind more than $1 billion in previously approved federal funding for public broadcasting, calling it a dangerous and shortsighted move that threatens rural emergency alert systems and essential public programming.
In a joint statement issued Tuesday, the Democratic senators said they were “deeply disturbed” by Republican efforts to gut funding for public broadcasting, including $100 million allocated to Virginia. The proposal, part of a broader $9.4 billion rescissions package backed by President Donald Trump, targets more than 1,500 public radio and television stations nationwide.
“In yet another shortsighted effort, President Trump is now trying to gut public radio and broadcast TV news, which deliver impartial news, critical information, and educational programming to communities all across the country,” the senators wrote. “Public radio plays a key role in public safety, delivering emergency alerts during disasters like floods, hurricanes, and wildfires.”
Sen. Warner emphasized the point in a video posted to social media Wednesday, recorded from his car, in which he linked the proposal to recent deadly flooding in Texas.
This week Republicans are rescinding already approved funding that powers emergency alerts in rural communities.
In light of the heartbreaking tragedy in Texas, how can anyone support this? pic.twitter.com/WO8HTABIn4
— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) July 16, 2025
“This week, Republicans are rescinding already approved funding that powers emergency alerts in rural communities,” Warner said. “In light of the heartbreaking tragedy in Texas, how can anyone support this?”
He warned that public stations are critical in transmitting emergency alerts when other communications systems fail. Warner added that defunding public media would be “a huge gift to China.”
Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 tie Tuesday night to move the bill forward after three Republican senators — Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Mitch McConnell — joined Democrats in opposition. Senators must now clear several procedural obstacles and engage in up to 10 hours of debate before the measure reaches a final floor vote. If passed, the legislation will return to the House for consideration before Friday’s deadline.
Critics of public media funding, such as Media Research Center’s Dan Schneider, dismissed Warner’s warnings.
In a post on X, Schneider claimed NPR was “sleeping” during the Texas floods and cited examples of local NPR affiliates airing national programming rather than flood updates.
“@MarkWarner, your narrative has been overcome by the facts,” Schneider wrote. “NPR has admitted to sleeping through the TX floods… That’s for helping us educate you.”
Schneider alleged that Texas Public Radio was slow to respond to the July 4 flash floods, posting updates hours after commercial radio stations had already issued emergency advisories and interviewed local officials.
“When the flood hit at 4:03 a.m., the NPR affiliate in Kerrville aired Morning Edition from Washington, D.C., rather than providing local news,” he wrote on X. “That day, listeners heard commentary calling the Reconciliation Bill an ‘abomination’ and labeling Trump a liar. MRC has looked but found no evidence that Texas Public Radio interrupted its regularly scheduled programming to provide urgent advisories about the flood.”
Washington Examiner editor-in-chief Hugo Gurdon also pushed back on Warner’s rescission framing, noting, “Rescission is essentially Congress changing its mind, which it should do when it decides that spending is unnecessary or damaging.”
AMY KLOBUCHAR SLAMS PUBLIC BROADCASTING CUTS THAT ‘GET ALERTS OUT’ ON NATURAL DISASTERS
Still, Warner and Kaine argue that the cuts would endanger public safety and devastate rural access to news and education. They vowed to fight the rescission package as it goes through the Senate.
“We are a better country than this,” Warner said in his video. “This November and next, we have to vote to put a muzzle on this awful administration.”