Lisa Murkowski did not vote to defund public broadcasting; she voted against the measures to cut funding and supported efforts to preserve funding for public media.
False
Lisa Murkowski voted to defund public broadcasting
Republicans voted to defund NPR and PBS. Here’s how WHYY and other Pa. stations will be impacted.
Source: inquirer.com
At a glance
Verified August 2, 2025Key Evidence
Senate roll call votes show Murkowski voting 'no' on defunding measures (51-48 vote passed without her support).
She backed Democratic amendments to preserve funding, all of which failed.
Public statements from Murkowski affirm her support for public broadcasting and opposition to funding cuts.
The reporting
What the Evidence Shows
Multiple credible sources from July 2025 confirm that Senator Lisa Murkowski opposed the defunding of public broadcasting. In Senate votes on rescission packages that aimed to cut approximately $1. 1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Murkowski was one of only two Republican senators who voted against these cuts, alongside Senator Susan Collins.
She also supported several Democratic amendments intended to preserve funding for public broadcasting, although these amendments ultimately failed. Furthermore, Murkowski publicly reiterated her support for public broadcasting and pushed back against the White House's rescission efforts.
Therefore, the claim that she voted to defund public broadcasting is contradicted by the documented voting records and her public statements.
Primary trail
Verified Sources10
Open source