BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) — The House of Representatives is set to consider the package of spending cuts that the Senate narrowly approved on Wednesday night.

It slashes previously approved funding for foreign aid as well as PBS and NPR.

PBS Appalachia General Manager and CEO Julie Newman stopped by First at Four Thursday to discuss how it will impact the Southwest Virginia Station.

“It’s been a devastating day to be in public media,” Newman said. “It’s something that we could foresee coming so it wasn’t a total surprise.”

While she said the road ahead is tough, PBS Appalachia won’t have as much of an impact as other PBS stations.

“We are the first fully digital public media station in the nation, which means we do not receive federal funding via the Corporation for Public Broadcasting,” she explained. “However, our parent company, Blue Ridge PBS, which manages both Blue Ridge PBS in Roanoke and PBS Appalachia in Southwest Virginia, is the same. They do receive funding from CPB, so any loss on their part directly affects and harms us at PBS Appalachia as well.”

The measure now has to go back to the House for a final vote before the Friday deadline.

You can watch Newman’s full interview on First at Four above.