WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a positive sign that Republicans and Democrats are more aligned on Congressional dollars devoted to educational, noncommercial radio and television operations, the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved hundreds of millions of dollars in advance funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in FY 2026.
Some $535 million in advance funding for the CPB in fiscal year 2026 was given the green-light by the GOP-controlled lower body of Congress, setting up what could be a swift OK in the Democratic-controlled Senate and final sign-off by President Biden.
In past years, Republicans have engaged in a “zero-out” of any federal dollars to public broadcasting, which includes NPR and PBS.
The advance funding comes with a fiscal 2024 omnibus appropriations package sent to the Senate by the House, which includes $60 million for public media stations’ interconnection system, $31 million for Ready To Learn and $40 million for the Next Generation Warning System at FEMA to upgrade public broadcasting stations’ public safety infrastructure in fiscal year 2024.
APTS President/CEO Patrick Butler expressed his organization’s gratitude for the bipartisan Congressional support of public broadcasting.
“Working under the challenging constraints of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, Congress has made clear its enduring endorsement of our public service missions of education, public safety and civic leadership,” Butler said. “Public television provides the only preschool education there is for more than half of America’s children. We provide lifesaving public safety communications, ranging from early earthquake warnings to Amber Alerts to presidential messages to the American people in times of national emergency, in partnership with federal, State and local authorities. And we’re the only media institutions which specialize in telling the stories of heartland America – its history, culture, and civic affairs – one community, one state at a time.”
