President Trump seeks to cancel $1.1 billion in U.S. public broadcasting funds, sparking legal, political, and journalistic backlash across America and beyond.
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| From legal challenges to bipartisan opposition, Trump’s plan to strip $1.1 billion in public broadcasting funding fuels a national debate over media, politics, and democracy. Image: CH |
Washington, USA – June 7, 2025:
President Donald Trump has formally requested Congress to rescind the full $1.1 billion allocated to public broadcasters through 2027, setting off a political firestorm and legal challenges that place NPR and PBS at the center of America’s cultural and media clash.
The funding rollback, part of a broader $9.4 billion package of rescissions targeting federal programs including foreign aid, comes amid a coordinated Republican push to frame public broadcasters as biased institutions. Trump’s allies in Congress claim NPR and PBS favor liberal viewpoints, a stance critics call a direct threat to journalistic independence.
Trump’s request would eliminate all funding distributed through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), jeopardizing vital services, especially in rural and underserved communities. CPB funds support over 1,500 local public radio and television stations nationwide.
National Press Club President Mike Balsamo condemned the proposal, calling public media “a vital pillar of American democracy.”
“Defunding public media would harm the very communities that rely on it most — and weaken our collective ability to stay informed,” Balsamo said.
At a House subcommittee hearing earlier this year, PBS President Paula Kerger warned the cuts would be “devastating” to local stations, especially those providing emergency alerts and children’s programming. NPR CEO Katherine Maher said the proposal was “explicitly viewpoint-based” and violates constitutional protections under the First Amendment and the Public Broadcasting Act.
Trump’s executive order already blocks federal CPB funds from reaching NPR and PBS and orders a purge of CPB board members. These actions are now the subject of several lawsuits by NPR, PBS, and local affiliates, which argue the administration is using financial tools to silence independent media.
Although Republicans hold slim majorities in Congress, bipartisan resistance is mounting. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) backed continued funding, citing the importance of public radio in remote regions. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she opposes cuts to PEPFAR—another program targeted in Trump’s package—but declined to comment on the media cuts.
Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer and Patty Murray, labeled the request “misplaced priorities,” accusing the President of undermining democratic institutions. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), co-chair of the House Public Broadcasting Caucus, sent a letter with 106 Democratic signatories urging full funding retention.
“Public media connects citizens to reliable information during emergencies and civic events,” the letter read. “Its elimination would create deeper news deserts and disproportionately impact rural America.”
Officials from nearly 200 public radio stations swarmed Capitol Hill in May to advocate for their survival. By law, Congress has 45 days to act on the President’s rescission request. The last time such a request passed was over three decades ago.
As political tension grows, the fight over public broadcasting funding has evolved into a wider national debate on free press, local journalism, and the future of trusted news in America’s information landscape.