GWAR Rallies Fans as Trump Bill Threatens $1.1 B Public Media Funding

The U.S. Senate advanced the Trump administration’s Rescissions Act this week, moving a package of spending claw-backs back to the House after a 50-50 vote that was decided by Vice President JD Vance. The measure would eliminate $9 billion in previously approved outlays, including $1.1 billion earmarked for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a cut that public-media advocates say could force rural radio and television stations off the air and curtail music licensing budgets. Richmond-based metal group GWAR entered the debate on Wednesday, releasing a public-service video in which frontman Blöthar urged Americans to contact their senators before final passage of the bill. Warning that the funding rollback "could very well silence the music," he invoked the legacy of children’s-TV icon Fred Rogers and called on fans to "rise up" against what he described as an assault on arts and culture. Separately, Metallica objected to the unauthorized use of its music in a U.S. Department of Defense video, prompting the Pentagon to pull the clip. The episode underscores growing friction between prominent musicians and the Trump administration as cultural figures mobilize against both policy moves and perceived misappropriation of their work.