If congressional Republicans have their way, more than $1.07 billion in previously-appropriated funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, including $100 million for Virginia, will be revoked.
Federal support for more than 1,500 public radio and TV stations would be cut, nearly half of which serve rural communities across the United States. In fiscal year 2024, Virginia received $99.4 million for public broadcasting, more than any other state.
U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia slammed Republicans‘ efforts to defund public media.
“In yet another shortsighted effort, President Trump is now trying to gut public radio and broadcast TV news, which deliver impartial news, critical information and educational programming to communities all across the country. As former governors, we are deeply disturbed by these efforts because we know that public media is often the only source of local news available to rural communities. We also know that public radio plays a key role in public safety, delivering emergency alerts during disasters like floods, hurricanes, and wildfires. While our Republican colleagues in the House may be comfortable ceding their constitutionally-established authority over to a power-hungry president, we plan to fight this backwards legislation and protect the funding that was approved by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress,” the senators said yesterday.
Since 2013, public TV stations have helped the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system deliver emergency alerts to people’s cell phones via the stations’ own transmitters when cell companies’ connections fail. In 2024, more than 11,000 alerts were issued by federal, state and local authorities via the PBS WARN system. Similarly, the Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS), which is managed by NPR, helps send presidential emergency alerts to local public radio stations nationwide — allowing critical communications to reach people, even when the internet or cellular connections fail.
The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the authority to approve and appropriate federal dollars. While a sitting president can propose the cancelation of appropriated funding, only Congress has the authority to revoke it, and must do so by passing a rescissions bill. The rescissions package being championed by Republicans comes in response to Trump’s demand that Congress cancel $9.4 billion in federal funding, including $1.07 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which was authorized by Congress in 1967 in order to ensure universal access to non-commercial, high-quality content and telecommunications services.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting delivers funding to more than 1,500 locally owned public radio and TV stations and serves as the largest single source of funding for public radio, television, and related online and mobile services.
The legislation, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in early July, is now under consideration by the U.S. Senate.
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Rebecca Barnabi
