Tokuda and Case vote against cuts to public broadcasting, foreign aid
On Friday, both of Hawaiʻi’s US House representatives voted against a $9 billion spending cut package that rolls back previously approved federal funding for public broadcasting and foreign aid. H.R. 4 – the Rescissions Act of 2025 – passed the House in a narrow 216-213 vote and now heads to the President’s desk.
“Public broadcasting serves as a lifeline for rural and underserved communities, providing essential educational content and emergency alerts in times of crisis,” Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaiʻi) said in a statement. “In Hawaiʻi, local stations have shared how deeply these cuts will impact their ability to serve, leading to possible staff layoffs and reduced programming.”
Tokuda also criticized the foreign aid cuts, calling them a retreat from American leadership and a threat to national security. “Slashing foreign aid abandons vulnerable communities abroad, while ceding ground to adversaries like China and Russia,” she said. “With this vote, Republicans and the President have turned their back on the world and worse, on the very people they swore to serve.”
The package includes:
- $3.6 billion cut from the US Agency for International Development (USAID)
- $4.3 billion from broader foreign assistance (including global health, democracy support and peacekeeping efforts)
- $1.07 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)
According to Rep. Tokuda, in fiscal year 2024, CPB distributed more than $4 million in funding across Hawaiʻi, including:
- $1,712,659 for PBS Hawaiʻi
- $419,480 for Hawaiʻi Public Radio
- $83,010 for KKCR-FM on Kauaʻi
- $1,858,591 for Pacific Islanders in Communications, based in Honolulu
Hawaiʻi Public Radio CEO Meredith Artley released a memo on Thursday night, after the measure passed the House.
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