Trump administration plans to present Congress with cuts to most funding for public media

This is not a surprise to public media. The threat has been in the air since the November elections.

The Trump administration plans to present Congress with cuts to most funding for public media this month, setting the stage for a showdown when lawmakers return from a recess on April 28, reports Variety.

The threat has been evident since the November elections, and in his first term, Trump proposed eliminating funding, but lawmakers restored it, showcasing bipartisan support for public broadcasting despite ongoing critiques of NPR for a perceived leftward lean.

This move comes as no surprise to public media.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting distributes the federal funds, with about 70% going to public media stations (TV and radio). For the current fiscal year, CPB received $535 million, and its latest budget, approved by Congress for 2025, continues appropriations through 2027. It is "forward funded."

It remains unclear if, assuming the Trump administration memo is sent, it will call for cutting off most funds after 2027 or aim to recover what has already been allocated.

"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—services that the American public value, trust and rely on every day," said Kate Riley, President and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations.

Riley added that the move would disproportionately affect Americans in rural communities and states "without the critical services local public television stations provide from proven education resources to essential local connections."

The PBS networks include 160 locally owned and operated stations.

"Federal funding for public media is irreplaceable and essential to local public media stations and the existence of the public media system as a whole."

"There’s nothing more American than PBS, and our work is only possible because of the bipartisan support we have always received from Congress," said PBS President Paula Kerger.

"We are proud to highlight real issues, individuals, and places that would otherwise be ignored by commercial media. We look forward to demonstrating our value to Congress, as we have over the last 50 years, to maintain our pledge to the American people to keep our organization, and service, strong and vital."

One Capitol Hill hearing so far, held late last month by a House DOGE subcommittee and called "Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the Heads of NPR and PBS Accountable," saw Chair Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) announce that the panel will be calling for "the complete and total defund and dismantling of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting."

DOGE is the Trump-created and Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.

Earlier this year, Trump-appointed FCC chair Brendan Carr announced he was opening an investigation into PBS and NPR over program sponsorships and expressed his opposition to federal funding of the outlets.

In February, like many federal and private companies, PBS closed its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office following President Trump's executive orders on DEI.