Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Shutter After Trump Axes Federal Funding

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps direct federal funds to NPR and PBS, will begin to shutter after President Donald Trump signed a law taking back $1.1 billion in congressional funding.

The CPB announced the news Friday, with president and CEO Patricia Harrison saying in a statement, “Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations. CPB remains committed to fulfilling responsibilities and supporting our partners through this transition with transparency and care” (via NPR). 

The CPB funding cuts were part of a $9 billion rescissions package that Republicans in Congress approved last month (the package also included cuts to foreign aid). NPR and PBS receive about $500 million annually through the CPB, with the cuts in the package covering funding through 2027 fiscal year.

In winding down operations, the CPB is expected to eliminate most of its staff positions by the end of September. The CPB said that a small team would stick around until January 2026 to “focus on compliance, fiscal distributions, and resolution of long-term financial obligations including ensuring continuity for music rights and royalties that remain essential to the public media system.”

Despite the cuts, many PBS and NPR stations will continue to operate as they are funded primarily through public fundraising. But congressional funding is particularly crucial for NPR and PBS stations in rural areas, which are expected to suffer most because of the cuts. 

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Trump made his intentions to cut CPB funding clear in May when he signed an executive order that claimed neither NPR nor PBS “presents a fair, accurate or unbiased portrayal of current events to tax-paying citizens.” Despite Trump’s claims of bias, recent polling has shown that most Americans support federal funding for public broadcasting.

These attacks on NPR and PBS are in line with Trump’s similar salvos against private broadcasters whom he believes don’t cover him fairly. His lawsuit against CBS News over 60 Minutes’ editing of a Kamala Harris interview was settled for $16 million earlier this summer, not long before Trump’s FCC approved a merger involving CBS’ parent company. ABC News also agreed to pay $15 million to Trump’s future presidential library to settle a defamation suit against George Stephanopoulos.