Defunding of CPB: A Historic Shift in American Public Media Landscape

On August 1, 2025, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced plans to cease operations by January 2026, following the rescission of $1.1 billion in federal funding. This decision stems from the Rescissions Act of 2025, signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 24, 2025, which eliminated CPB's funding for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

Established in 1967, the CPB is a non-profit corporation that has served as a primary source of funding for public media outlets, including the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR). It supports over 1,500 local radio and television stations across the United States, with a significant portion of its funding allocated to television programming (66.75%) and radio programming (22.25%). The CPB's mission has been to ensure universal access to non-commercial, high-quality content and telecommunications services.

The Rescissions Act of 2025 is a federal law that rescinded $9 billion in previously allocated funds, including $1.1 billion from the CPB. The act also cut $7.9 billion from international assistance programs, affecting various global health and humanitarian initiatives. The bill passed the House of Representatives on June 12, 2025, with a narrow vote of 214–212, and the Senate on July 17, 2025, with a 51–48 vote. President Trump signed the bill into law on July 24, 2025.

The defunding of the CPB is expected to have profound effects on public media, particularly for smaller and rural stations that rely heavily on federal funding. For instance, KUAF, the NPR affiliate serving Northwest Arkansas, faced a loss of approximately $210,000 in annual federal funding. Although the station met its emergency fundraising goal to offset this loss, General Manager Clint Schaff emphasized the need for sustained philanthropic support to maintain long-term stability.

In contrast, Richmond's public media outlets, such as VPM, are better positioned to handle the funding cuts due to their diverse financial resources, including a $182 million endowment. VPM relies on federal funding for only 6–7% of its budget, below the national averages of 10.3% for public TV and 4.1% for public radio.

Katherine Maher, CEO of NPR, warned that defunding public radio poses "a real risk to the public safety of the country," noting that some NPR stations receive more than 50% of their budget from federal funding and may face layoffs and station closures. She highlighted that rural areas would feel the largest impacts, as local stations provide vital alerts in emergencies like storms, floods, and wildfires.

Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, a longtime public media advocate, expressed concern that the cuts will most impact "those smaller, rural stations that people rely on for emergency alerts, homeland security information, continuing education, and children's programming."

The defunding effort is part of a broader $9 billion budget reduction passed by the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives, which also included cuts to foreign aid. President Trump has long criticized public broadcasting as biased and celebrated the move on social media. Supporters of the cuts, like Senate Majority Leader John Thune, framed the legislation as necessary for fiscal responsibility. Opponents, including Senator Ed Markey and public media advocates, argue the bill endangers educational programming and vulnerable populations.

The Rescissions Act of 2025 utilized the rescission process, which allows the President to propose the cancellation of previously allocated funds, subject to congressional approval. The act's passage reflects a significant use of this process to achieve substantial budget cuts.

While there have been previous attempts to reduce or eliminate federal funding for public broadcasting, the Rescissions Act of 2025 represents the most significant and successful effort to date. The scale of the cuts and the resulting shutdown of the CPB mark a historic shift in the federal government's support for public media.

The impending closure of the CPB marks a significant shift in the landscape of American public media. While larger stations with diverse funding sources may weather the storm, smaller and rural stations face an uncertain future. The loss of federal funding not only threatens the survival of these stations but also the communities they serve, highlighting the critical role of public media in providing accessible information and education to all Americans.