Defend Public Media in the United States
This article will be updated regularly as the situation unfolds with news and calls to action.
July 30, 2025
The recent vote to eliminate federal funding for public media was a significant setback and disheartening for all US residents, and especially our documentary community. Despite the outcome, a record number of Americans voiced their opposition to these cuts, and lawmakers have taken notice – offering an opportunity to begin the process of restoring vital Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funding through the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 appropriations process.
On Thursday, July 31, the Senate Appropriations Committee will be considering its FY 2026 Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS-Education) Appropriations bill, which typically has provided two-year advance CPB funding, and annual funding for Interconnection and Ready To Learn. This presents a crucial moment to begin the process of restoring lost funding.
If you live in one of these states with key senate approrpiators, we urge you to call your lawmakers: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Washington. Learn more at Protect My Public Media.
July 18, 2025
In the early hours of July 18, the House of Representatives passed the Senate-amended Rescissions Act, eliminating all previously approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027. The bill passed by a vote of 216–213, defunding public media for the first time in U.S. history.
This is not the end. The FY 2026 appropriations process is underway, and there is still a path to restore public media funding.
July 8, 2025
"The Big Beautiful Bill" didn’t defund public media. But your local station is still at risk – unless you act now to stop the Rescissions Act from taking back critical support.
Despite overwhelming public opposition, the House passed a rescissions package that would eliminate $1.1 billion in already-approved funding for public media. If enacted, it would strip essential services from communities nationwide — and could force rural stations off the air entirely.
The Senate could take up this rescissions package as early as this week. Now is the time to urge them to remove the proposal targeting public media from the package.
June 17, 2025
On Thursday, June 12, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to rescind $1.1 billion in previously approved funding for public media. Protect My Public Media reports that since June 5, advocates have delivered more than 37,000 calls and nearly 518,000 emails to Congress. Thank you if you have reached out to your representatives!
Now, these calls need to be addressed to the Senate, our final chance to stop these devastating cuts. The bill only needs 50 votes to pass. The voting time is not certain yet, but we know that the Senate has until July 18 to consider this proposal. Call your senators now.
Here are some messaging resources to help you share this update with your networks. See more at Protect My Public Media.
June 10, 2025
The House Committee on Rules is scheduled to consider the rescission proposal today, June 10, at 2:00 p.m. ET. / 11 a.m. PT. A vote on the House Floor is expected as early as Wednesday.
The Senate Parliamentarian has ruled that Congress must act on the rescission request, which includes public media funding, by July 18. Barring any changes to the Congressional schedule, the 45-day clock will expire at midnight on that day.
Politico reported that 10 moderate House Republicans have privately said they currently oppose the legislation – a critical sign that pressure is working.
Here's an automated form you can use to call your reps and see talking points. See more resources for action at Protect My Public Media.
June 3, 2025
Today, Tuesday, June 3, the White House sent Congress a request for lawmakers to cancel more than $1 billion in federal funds earmarked for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the entity that disburses taxpayer funds to local NPR and PBS stations across the country.
Congress has a limited timeframe to act on this measure – 45 session days – but a vote in the House could happen within days.
It's time to call your representatives and urge them not to defund public media. Here's an automated form you can use to call your reps and see talking points. See more resources for action at Protect My Public Media.
May 6, 2025
Since last week, the White House issued an Executive Order instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to “cease federal funding for NPR and PBS,” halting direct and indirect funding to PBS and NPR by prohibiting local stations and CPB grant recipients from using taxpayer dollars to support these organizations. In response, CPB issued a statement affirming that it is “not a federal executive agency subject to the President’s authority.”
This comes on top of the White House’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget request to Congress, which proposes completely defunding CPB, and a pending rescissions package that would claw back $1.1 billion in federal funding for public media.
In response to this coordinated wave of attacks on public media, late last week us and our partners at Protect My Public Media began mobilizing advocates to contact their lawmakers – urging them to protect both local autonomy and the federal funding that makes public media possible. This built on our recent mobilization around the pending rescissions package, and since then, more than 760,000 communications have reached congressional offices. We’re now working to keep that momentum going.
Since the rescissions package remains a serious threat, all advocate communications to Congress will now address all three issues: a possible rescissions package, the Executive Order, and the FY 2026 budget proposal.
Since the rescissions package remains a serious threat, we suggest that all advocate communications to Congress now address all three issues: a possible rescissions package, the Executive Order, and the FY 2026 budget proposal.
You can use these updated social scripts provided by Protect My Public Media to support your outreach efforts to your networks.
April 28, 2025
Critical funding for public media in the United States is under threat. Today, April 28, we expect the White House to ask Congress to rescind more than $1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. CPB funds public media in the United States, including PBS, NPR, their member stations, and the production of documentary films for public broadcast.
This money was previously appropriated by Congress. Stations, programming strands, filmmakers, and radio producers are among those who have begun work that depends on CPB funding. If passed, the White House’s rescission package would be a devastating blow to audiences across the U.S.
Congress voted for funding public media when it appropriated the funds two years ago. This potential legislation would undo that work. IDA has members in all fifty states. We are a community that knows and believes in the importance of public interest stories for this and any democracy. Join us in calling for all of our representatives to stand up for public media again by voting against the rescission request.
This is your money. Allocated by your representatives to support the stories you need to tell and hear.
You can email your representatives directly using the text provided below. You can look up your congressional representatives here, finding their email addresses and office phone numbers. Alternatively, you can use this tool provided by IDA’s partners at Protect My Public Media to submit your email.
If you would like to call your representatives directly, you can use their direct office number or call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
Learn more about this issue from Protect My Public Media and join their campaign.
Don’t wait. Call or email your Members of Congress today and urge them to oppose any attempt to eliminate public media funding.
Sincerely,
International Documentary Association