The recent rescission bill that “clawed back” previously approved federal funds for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting appears to be only the beginning of a long-term trend for NPR and PBS Member stations, given the actions seen by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
A markup of the the 2026 Labor and Health and Human Services appropriations bill has taken place. And, it provides no funding for CPB.
That led its President/CEO, Patricia Harrison, to express her group’s deep concern that the Committee has advanced a bill “that threatens the survival of local public media stations essential in so many ways to the communities they serve.”
Noting Congress’ earlier rescission of previously approved funds, Harrison added, “This decision to provide no funding to CPB in FY 2026 will cause irreparable harm, especially to small and rural public media stations. The absence of future funding eliminates CPB’s ability to fulfill our statutory mission—providing support to nearly 1,500 local public media stations and making needed investments that help stations serve their communities.”
Also chiming in on the Senate Appropriations Committee action is Kate Ryan, President/CEO of America’s Public Television Stations (APTS). Her organization is “deeply disappointed.” She added, “With this vote, the Senate Appropriations Committee missed an opportunity to extend a desperately needed lifeline to local public media stations that are already cutting essential services and staff and, in some cases, planning for their closure as a result of the rescissions of public media funding earlier this month. The impact of the elimination of this necessary public media funding for local stations, as we have warned all along, is real and imminent and it has already begun to dramatically impact the vital services that local stations provide to communities across our country.”
— RBR + TVBR Washington Bureau
