More than $1 billion of previously approved federal dollars allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will be “clawed back” to the U.S. government, as the House of Representatives — following Senate approval — approved legislation that will also return billions of dollars in foreign aid to the coffers.
CPB funds both PBS and NPR, and the rescissions bill that eliminates previously approved dollars passed the House by a 216-213 vote. Democratic Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mike Turner of Ohio voted along all House Democrats in voting no on the measure.
Had no vote come by today (7/18), the rescissions bill would have evaporated into thin air. Instead, dollars going to public broadcasting have been erased.
Kate Riley, President and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations, issued a lengthy statement following statement on the U.S. House of Representatives vote to approve H.R. 4, the Rescissions Act of 2025.
“Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to eliminate federal funding to the local public television stations throughout this country, defying the will of the American people.
“These local stations are beloved and trusted by the vast majority of Americans who rely on the essential lifesaving public safety information, proven educational services and local community connections these stations provide every day for free, regardless of zip code or income level.
“This elimination of federal funding — over 70% would go to local stations — will decimate public media and force many local stations to go dark, cutting off essential service to communities that rely on them — many of which have no other access to free, locally controlled media — especially those communities in rural areas.
“The proponents of this legislation were myopically focused on defunding NPR and PBS, but what this bill will actually do is devastate independent local stations — some of which are not even members of NPR and PBS and don’t air their programming.
“Rescinding previously appropriated funding for the local stations that provide essential services to their communities is an affront to the American people who consistently identify public television as the best investment the government makes, after only national defense and food and drug safety.
“Public media has earned the broad support of the American people, across the political spectrum, including 65% of people who voted for President Trump who think public television is either adequately funded or underfunded, according to a recent YouGov survey.
“After over 50 years of federal support for public broadcasting, Congress has now voted to eliminate this exceptional public-private partnership that has educated generations of children, protected countless lives, and connected and celebrated communities large and small throughout this nation.
“Only public television has a nationwide broadcast infrastructure — reaching 97% of all Americans — that serves as a pathway for the distribution of Wireless Emergency Alerts, enables us to provide the only nationwide situational awareness tool used by public safety officials to track and monitor the effectiveness of those alerts, and allows us to partner with first responders on public safety initiatives from Florida to Alaska, helping keep Americans safe every day. Americans will be less safe due to this rescission of public media funding.
“Only public television educates the more than half of America’s children who do not attend preschool and provides tens of thousands of State standards-aligned digital learning objects — for free — for use in K-12 classrooms and in millions of American homes. These are services that American families rely upon every day. In fact, according to a recent YouGov survey, 82% of voters, including 72% of Trump voters, said they valued PBS for its children’s programming and educational tools. American children will have fewer free education resources to help them learn due to this rescission of public media funding.
“And only public television tells the story of hometown heroes and local history through thousands of hours of locally and nationally produced documentary and public affairs programming, while connecting communities to address present day issues and charting a course for a bright future. American history and stories will go untold due to this rescission of public media funding.
“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.
“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.
“This destructive rescission of Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funding – the substantial majority of which goes to local stations – will result in the end of all federal funding to local stations starting October 1, 2025 and the total closure of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
“America’s Public Television Stations will do everything in our power to restore this critical funding, ensure the survival of local public media stations throughout the country and continue the federal investment in their essential missions of public safety, education and community connections.”
HOUSE E&C’s TOP DEMOCRAT CONDEMNS CONGRESSIONAL ACT
Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) also released a statement today, slamming President Trump and Congressional Republicans for rescinding CPB funding. “Once again, President Trump and Congressional Republicans are recklessly taking a sledgehammer to an important American institution in a way that will make their own constituents less safe and less informed,” he said.
“Federal funding through CPB supports not only local news, but also emergency alerts and information across the country. In rural and Tribal communities, these stations are often the only providers left that cover local government and provide critical public safety information during disasters. Let’s be clear: without this federal funding, many of these stations will disappear.
“Republicans know the pain it will cause back home when the only local radio station in town shutters its doors. They know exactly what it will mean if a natural disaster hits their state and their constituents don’t receive an emergency alert because there is no one left to operate the radio tower or control room. But they don’t care, because blindly following President Trump’s whims is a bigger priority than serving the people they represent.
“It took the United States 60 years to build the public broadcasting system. It took President Trump and Congressional Republicans 45 days to destroy it. I commit to doing everything I can to restore this funding.”
ALL CLASSICAL CONCERN
For Suzanne Nance, President/CEO of “All Classical Radio” in Portland, Ore., the rescission decision cancels $500,000 in annual support previously approved by Congress.
“This is not just a number,” she said. “That funding sustains the music, voices, and stories you rely on every day. It helps us broadcast performances from local artists, bring music education to children, and keep classical music freely accessible to all, regardless of income, location, or background. The loss of this funding places everything we do at risk.”
The message was distributed in a plea for listener contributions.
