US Senate backs $9bn in cuts to public broadcasting and foreign aid

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The US Senate has approved a $9bn package of spending cuts that will hit public broadcasting and overseas aid, in a sign that the push to cut government expenditure spearheaded by Elon Musk is set to outlast the billionaire’s split with Donald Trump.

Broadcasting institutions NPR and PBS would lose federal funding if the package, which the Republican-led Senate approved by 51 votes to 48, were signed into law. The bill would also shut off funding for foreign aid grants for the US Agency for International Development.

The measure still needs final approval by the House of Representatives, which is due to vote on it this week.

Musk, a key fundraiser for Trump’s second presidential campaign, was tasked with finding cost savings via the newly created so-called Department of Government Efficiency.

However, the relationship between the US president and the billionaire tech entrepreneur has soured in recent weeks over Musk’s disagreement with Trump’s tax and tariff policies. 

Earlier this month, Trump suggested that Doge could be used to examine subsidies that Musk’s businesses Tesla and SpaceX receive.

NPR and PBS have long been criticised by right-leaning politicians in the US for alleged liberal bias.