Trump asked Congress to claw back funding for PBS and NPR. What now?

America’s two big public broadcasters, PBS and NPR, have 45 days to salvage their federal funding — starting now.

On Tuesday, the Trump administration sent Congress a long-awaited request for lawmakers to cancel more than $1 billion in federal funds earmarked for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, CPB for short, the entity that disburses taxpayer funds to local NPR and PBS stations across the country.

The unusual request, known as a “rescission package,” starts a 45-day clock for Congress to either approve or ignore the proposal. Rescinding the funds only requires a simple majority, which means in this case that no Democratic votes are needed.