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Benjamin Mullin, Tony Romm and Jonathan Swan, The New York Times.
The Trump administration is planning to ask Congress to cancel $1.1 billion in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which supports public media in the United States, including NPR, PBS and their local member stations. This was reported by two sources with knowledge of the White House’s plans. The move could effectively eliminate most federal support for these organisations.
According to one of the sources, the proposal would eliminate CPB funding for two years in advance. This amount represents the bulk of the federal budget, which is used to support public broadcasters across the country. At the same time, the Trump administration does not plan to touch about $100 million allocated for emergency communications.
Government funding makes up only a small part of the budgets of NPR and PBS, which also depend on sponsorships and donations. However, for local stations, these funds are critical – they are used to maintain newsrooms and pay for programme content.
The initiative is part of a broader White House campaign to cut previously approved spending. The cancellation package, which will also include billions of dollars in foreign aid, will be submitted to Congress in the coming weeks. Under the law, Congress will have 45 days to vote on whether to approve the request. If the proposal is rejected, the administration will be obliged to spend the funds as originally intended.
Political context and pressure on the media
The Trump administration’s proposal comes amid an ongoing conflict between Republicans and public broadcasters. Last month, the heads of NPR and PBS appeared at a congressional hearing where Republicans accused them of liberal bias and Democrats called the debate a waste of time.
The move also fits into the administration’s broader strategy of putting pressure on the media. The White House is already suing the Associated Press over the agency’s exclusion from the presidential press pool, and Donald Trump himself has filed lawsuits against CBS News and The Des Moines Register. In addition, the Federal Communications Commission has launched an investigation into Comcast, PBS and NPR.
Spokespersons for NPR, PBS and CPB have refrained from commenting.
Implications for public media
CPB has a two-year funding reserve, which partially protects it from political upheaval. Much of the 2025 budget has already been distributed to local stations, a source familiar with the situation said. However, public media executives have been preparing for a possible budget cut for several months. In an internal document prepared by radio station directors last autumn, the abrupt cessation of funding was compared to an “asteroid strike without warning”.
“This is the most risky scenario, especially at a time when the media ecosystem is changing rapidly,” the document says.
Defenders of NPR and PBS argue that the cuts will hit rural audiences hardest, for whom public radio and television are often the only sources of news and entertainment in areas without broadband. Instead, supporters of the defunding, such as Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, argue that modern technology has made these services obsolete. “The people in my district have ample access to mobile phone service and the Internet,” she said in an interview last month.
Mike Gonzalez of the Heritage Foundation, which has long advocated for the elimination of funding for public media, added: “NPR and PBS have only themselves to blame. Every Republican president in the last 50 years has tried to reform or defund them.”
What happens if the funding disappears?
Back in 2011, NPR produced a report analysing the consequences of the end of federal funding. It was estimated that up to 18% of its approximately 1,000 member stations could close, and public radio would lose $240 million. Stations in the Midwest, South, and West would be hardest hit, and about 30% of listeners would lose access to NPR programming.
At the same time, the report suggested that defunding could stimulate a wave of donations from supporters of public radio. Whether this scenario will work in 2025 remains to be seen, but for many local stations, the future looks uncertain.
