Alaska’s lone member of the U.S. House, Republican Rep. Nick Begich, joined his Republican colleagues in a 214-212 vote on June 12 to claw back $1.1 billion in previously approved federal funding for public broadcasting, including tens of millions of dollars intended for radio and TV stations in Alaska.

The clawback, formally known as a rescission vote, was requested by President Donald Trump and does not take effect unless also approved by the U.S. Senate within 45 days.

The rescission would be enormously significant for Alaska’s public broadcasters, particularly those in rural Alaska. Many of Alaska’s rural public radio stations are heavily dependent on federal funding.

KSTK in Wrangell operates under a $380,000 budget this year, with almost $165,000 coming from federal dollars, said Mollie Kabler, executive director of CoastAlaska, the consortium of six Alaska public radio stations that holds the license for KSTK.

The clawback approved by the U.S. House would be even more significant than a budget cut because it would instantly affect funding that has already been approved and included in station budgets. If Congress were to cut budgets going forward, stations might have at least some time to adapt.

Stations on St. Paul Island, in Unalakleet, Sand Point and Talkeetna are among those that receive more than 70% of their funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the federally funded agency targeted by the House vote.

Stations in Wrangell, Sitka, Ketchikan, Petersburg and Haines are among those that receive at least a third of their support from the CPB.

At KUCB-FM in Unalaska, the station would instantly lose nearly half of its funding and would have to eliminate original programming. The same would take place at KYUK-FM in Bethel, which stands to lose almost 70% of its revenue.

On June 6, Alaska Public Media published a list of knock-on effects, including the loss of the only local reporters in many rural parts of the state. Even in the state’s urban centers, the funding loss would have devastating effects.

KNBA-FM in Anchorage could have to stop production of National Native News and Native America Calling, two nationally syndicated programs that broadcast Alaska Native and American Indian news.

In Juneau, the loss of funding would affect Gavel Alaska, the public broadcasts that cover legislative hearings in the state Capitol and elsewhere.

Begich, in a written statement, said the rescissions package is “a necessary step for restoring fiscal responsibility in our nation.”

During his election campaign last year, he said reducing the national deficit was a priority, though he recently voted for a bill of tax breaks and tax cuts that increases the national debt by an estimated $2.4 trillion, even with spending reductions included in the bill.

In a June 12 statement, Begich said that “while rural communities have in the past been indirectly supported through state-sponsored media, we must acknowledge how far we have come in terms of connectivity since the birth of radio more than 120 years ago. Alaska residents have embraced today’s pervasive cellular, satellite and wireline technologies, connecting rural communities to critical information and resources in rich and compelling ways.”

In addition to the impact on public broadcasters, the rescissions package eliminates billions of dollars in foreign aid.

“This rescissions package primarily targets ideologically shaped foreign spending at USAID. Under both the Obama and Biden administrations, USAID funding was misused to promote political and socially left policies abroad,” Begich alleged in his statement.

In the Senate, a simple majority vote will be needed to approve the rescissions package. Republicans occupy 53 seats in that chamber and Vice President J.D. Vance would cast any tiebreaking vote, meaning that four Republicans would have to oppose the funding reduction for it to fail.

Alaska’s two U.S. senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, have both said they support funding public broadcasting, though Sullivan has been critical of National Public Radio.

The Alaska Beacon is an independent, donor-funded news organization. Alaskabeacon.com.