Congress votes to strip more than $1 billion in funding for NPR, PBS
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Congress on Friday voted to cut nearly $1.1 billion in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, marking a devastating blow for PBS and NPR.
Why it matters: The cuts will have a significant impact on local station groups that rely on federal funding to survive. Many are expected to shutter without it.
- While NPR and PBS nationally are mostly funded by nongovernment sources, such as corporate sponsorships or viewer/listener donations, local member stations are heavily reliant on CPB funding.
- Those stations are often the only sources of local news programming in rural communities amid a steady decline of local newspapers.
Yes, but: While the cuts target NPR and PBS, the national organizations won't feel much of the impact.
- Only around 1% and 15% of NPR's and PBS' national revenue comes through CPB, respectively.
- The majority of federal funding is allocated to local member stations, which use it for day-to-day operations.
- Some of those stations do pay small dues to the national PBS and NPR entities to access nationally syndicated shows, newsgathering and resources, but many rural stations that will be hit hardest by the funding cuts don't currently pay those dues.
State of play: The cuts were included in a sweeping rescissions package meant to claw back more than $9 billion in federal spending.
- The package included nearly $1.1 billion in funding for for CPB through 2026 and 2027.
- The House voted in favor of the broader rescission package Friday after the Senate voted 51-48 in favor of the package early Thursday morning. The bill passed the upper chamber with only Republican support. It now heads to President Trump to sign into law.
- Senate Republicans who voted against the package included Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), whose states rely heavily on public media in rural areas.
Between the lines: Every member station of NPR or PBS is expected to feel the impact of the cuts.
- NPR has 386 public radio grantees that operate around 1,300 stations across the country. Around 40% of them are classified as rural stations.
- PBS has nearly 350 member television stations.
Of note: For some vulnerable NPR affiliate stations, CPB funding can make up to 50% of their total budget.
- Without CPB funding, PBS estimates that roughly 15% of its stations will be unable to operate.
What they're saying: "This vote is an unwarranted dismantling of beloved local civic institutions, and an act of Congress that disregards the public will," said Katherine Maher, President & CEO of NPR
Zoom out: While Republicans have made some efforts to defund public media in the past, support for NPR and PBS have historically been considered non-partisan.
- In 2012, then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney said during a debate that he was "going to stop the subsidy to PBS," if elected.
- Ahead of Trump's second term, Project 2025 wrote in a detailed memo foreshadowing the president's agenda ways the administration could pull funding for public broadcasters. The Trump administration started taking actions to scrutinize public broadcasters shortly thereafter.
The big picture: The cuts are part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to strip funding from public broadcasters.
- Earlier this year, President Trump issued an executive order to essentially gut international broadcasters that rely on congressionally appropriated funds, such as Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks.
