NATIONAL NEWS – CPB, which funds NPR and PBS, to shut down after Trump pulls $1.1B in public media funding

Ananya Roy, News Writer

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced Friday it will begin shutting down after President Trump signed legislation rescinding $1.1 billion in federal funds through fiscal year 2027. The funding cut, part of a broader $9 billion rollback package approved largely along party lines, also included reductions in foreign aid. Hopes for a reversal were quashed when the Senate Appropriations Committee declined to restore the money this week. CPB President Patricia Harrison called the closure “a difficult reality,” citing overwhelming public support and years of trusted service in education, emergency alerts, and civic engagement.

The CPB, established by the 1967 Public Broadcasting Act, has long served as a conduit for federal support to public radio and television stations nationwide. Most staff will be laid off by September 30, with a small team remaining through January to manage remaining financial and legal obligations. Public stations, particularly in rural and lower-income areas, are expected to face the most serious consequences, as many depend heavily on CPB grants to stay operational. Some, like Pittsburgh’s WQED, have already begun major layoffs.

The move follows years of conservative criticism that public media leans left and wastes taxpayer money, claims denied by public broadcasters. Trump and allies have pushed to defund PBS and NPR, and this marks the first time in nearly 60 years that Congress has rejected CPB funding. Still, public support remains high: a recent Harris Poll found 66% of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, back federal funding for public broadcasting. Despite the shutdown, CPB leadership says it will fulfill its responsibilities with “transparency and care” during the transition.