A new spending bill advanced out of a key Senate committee that provides no federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity that distributes grants to public stations, PBS and NPR.
After Congress rescinded $1.1 billion in federal funding for the next two fiscal years, there had been some hope that it would be restored as lawmakers work on budget allocations for 2026.
But that didn’t happen, and the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced a bill that contained no funding for CPB.
Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB, said in a statement, “Following Congress’ earlier rescission of previously approved funds, 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.”
The bill was part of a labor and health and human services spending package.
The $1.1 billion in funding that Congress rolled back earlier this month had already been appropriated to CPB, which has operated on an advance cycle. Donald Trump requested the rescissions, calling PBS and NPR biased. But advocates have pointed to polling showing high levels of trust in public media, as well as majority support for federal funding.
More to come.
