MPR News

By Clay Masters and Gretchen Brown

Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar took the Senate floor Wednesday to speak against President Donald Trump's $9.4 billion clawback of funding from foreign aid and public media.

The bill passed in the House last month and is headed to the Senate for a vote before a July 18 deadline.

Speaking with MPR News guest host Clay Masters on All Things Considered, Klobuchar emphasized public media as a lifeline in rural communities.

“Public TV stations in Duluth, Granite Falls, Austin; public radio stations in Grand Rapids, Bemidji, in Brainerd, stations where it’s the only way they’re going to find out if there’s a fire in their region or that they can’t drive over a certain road because there’s flooding,” Klobuchar said.