The House vote on Thursday to stop federal funding for National Public Radio passed by a partisan 228-192 margin, with just seven Republicans breaking ranks to vote against passage.
The measure faces an uphill battle in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
In the meantime, maplight.org, a non-partisan watchdog group, found that conservative groups that have long opposed public funding for NPR and PBS had a disproportionate impact on the House vote.
The measure is supported by groups such as Eagle Forum and Traditional Values Coalition, as well as fiscal and tax policy groups such as Americans for Tax Reform. A maplight.org analysis of Center for Responsive Politics data over a 2-year period shows that lawmakers voting in favor of passage received 26 times more in contributions (an average of $24,424) from these interest groups than lawmakers voting against the measure($948).
