The House of Representatives voted 216-213 on Thursday night to approve $9 billion in spending cuts, including $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting – representing the entirety of two years’ worth of federal funding for NPR and PBS.

Passage by the Republican-controlled House sends the bill on to the president’s desk for signing.

Katherine Maher, President and CEO of NPR, immediately slammed the unusual congressional move as an “unwarranted dismantling of beloved local civic institutions, and an act of Congress that disregards the public will.”

“Two-thirds of Americans support federal funding for public media, and believe that it is a good value for taxpayer dollars,” Maher said. “Americans listen to their local NPR stations daily, watch their favorite PBS shows loyally, raise their children on educational television, and listen to music stations that showcase the best of our home-grown music traditions.”