They probably expected it to be independent when it was created and funded to be independent…

A free press is one of the core tenets of a democracy. The government supporting that was not just unremarkable, before the current regime it was expected. This is not normal. Nobody in this administration is normal, and none of then seem to actually want to live in a democratic society.

Stars and Stripes has existed for 165 years and has been run independently (despite DoD funding) for all of that time.

Is it shocking that this is changing under Trump? I guess not, but that isn't because this is a normal state of affairs, it is because the US is rapidly sliding into full blown authoritarianism.