After months of threats and speculation, the Trump administration has formally asked Congress to repeal $9.4 billion in previously approved funding, including $1.1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which provides funding to NPR and PBS.
That amounts to about two years of funding for CPB, which provides funding to PBS, NPR and public media, according to NPR.
The Trump administration has separately issued proposals for the fiscal year 2026 budget that would get rid of all CPB funding except for $30 million to shut down the agency.
The rescissions package was been proposed in April but was not sent formally to Congress until June 3. Now that the process has formally be initiated, Congress has 45 days to repeal the previously approved funding.
NEW: Today, we sent the first rescissions package to Capitol Hill. This package contains BILLIONS in wasteful foreign aid and federal funding for NPR and PBS. Here’s just some of the waste, fraud, and abuse identified: 🧵June 3, 2025
The proposal drew immediate fire from executives at CPB, America’s Public Television Stations and others.
“Federal funding for the public broadcasting system is irreplaceable,“ CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison said. “Public media serves all—families and individuals, in rural and urban communities—free of charge and commercial-free. American taxpayers rely upon and trust public media for high-quality educational content, information and life-saving alerts.”
“CPB is firmly committed to ensuring that funding for public media provides local communities with accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan news and information, and we take seriously concerns about bias that have been raised,” she added. “The path to better public media is achievable only if funding is maintained. Otherwise, a vital lifeline that operates reliable emergency communications, supports early learning, and keeps local communities connected and informed will be cut off with regrettable and lasting consequences.”
Kate Riley, president and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations, said: “Americans in every corner of this country rely on our local public television stations to provide lifesaving public safety and educational services and local community connections for free, every day,. “These services are only made possible by the federal funding for public media. We urge Congress to reject this destructive proposal to eliminate public media funding and public media itself.
“This proposed elimination of CPB funding—the substantial majority of which goes to local stations—will result in immediate and serious cuts of stations’ local services and in some cases the total closure of stations, particularly in rural communities,” she added. “Rescinding previously appropriated federal funding for public broadcasting defies the will of the American people and would devastate the public safety, educational and local service missions of public media stations. These services are essential for the American people and worthy of the federal investment, which amounts to about $1.60 per person per year and less than one 1/100th of a percent of the federal budget.”
