Summary
- The Senate voted to cut $1.1 billion from CPB funding.
- Funding cut affects 1,500 local public TV, radio stations.
- PBS and NPR face severe financial challenges ahead.
- The majority vote was narrow, mainly along party lines.
- Cuts criticized for harming rural and smaller stations.
“American taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize programming that glorifies radical gender ideology in schools or pushes to defund the police,”
Schmitt said Wednesday.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, argued that the Trump administration is seeking to shut down public broadcasting because it represents an independent voice.
“Trump, like all authoritarians, doesn’t like criticism or objective reporting,”
Sanders said on social media.
“He just wants to be flattered. That’s why he wants to defund NPR and PBS.”
Starting in October, the vote cuts $535 million a year for two years. Local stations in rural areas, where CPB financing can account for a significant portion of total revenue, are anticipated to bear the brunt of the reduction.
Arizona Democrat Sen. Ruben Gallego claimed that his state's rural stations will be devastated by the financial cuts. Democrats cautioned that children's shows like "Sesame Street" and "Daniel Tiger," which are unsustainable on commercial television, will be threatened by the cuts.
“Without PBS and local member stations, Americans will lose unique local programming and emergency services in times of crisis,”
a PBS spokesperson said.
The House voted in June to claw back the funding, on a vote of 214-212. The Senate passed a procedural vote on the rescission on Tuesday night, with Vice President J.D. Vance breaks a 50-50 tie. Three Republican senators — Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell — joined 47 Democrats and independents in voting no.
The House has until Friday to concur on the vote.
How will the budget cuts affect programming at local stations impacted by CPB funding loss?
Many local stations, especially those in rural areas, rely on CPB funding for the majority of their operating budgets. Without federal support, they may have to drastically reduce their programming, cancelling locally produced news, music, cultural shows, and dedicating less coverage to city hall, community events, or local affairs.
Stations could lose access to beloved children’s programming like “Sesame Street” and other PBS Kids content, especially in markets unable to cover licensing fees without federal aid.
Staffing reductions, consolidation of operations, and in the worst cases, permanent closure of stations are likely, as reflected by layoffs in New Jersey’s PBS and downsizing already underway in several smaller markets.