Corporation for Public Broadcasting to shut down due to Trump-led cuts
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which provides funding to US public media entities PBS, NPR and its member stations, is set to shut down after its previously allocated budget for the next two year was rescinded by Congress.
The organisation said it will begin an “orderly wind-up of its operations” and that the majority of its staff positions will end at the close of its fiscal year on September 30, 2025.
“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,” said CPB president and CEO Patricia Harrison.
“CPB remains committed to fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities and supporting our partners through this transition with transparency and care.”
The announcement came around two weeks after both the Senate and the House of Representatives approved the broader “rescission bill,” which claws back around US$9bn in previously allocated funding spanning foreign aid and public media. Within that, US$1.1bn previously allocated to the CPB was cancelled.
The rescission bill was a continuation of the Department of Government Efficiency work started by Elon Musk earlier this year, at the direction of US president Donald Trump. At the same time, Trump took aim at public media in America, claiming that federal funding is being used to support biased and partisan news coverage.
Prior to the cuts, CPB received around US$535m annually from federal funds, of which around 70% went directly towards funding 330 PBS and 246 NPR stations in America. In total, the CPB supports the operations of 1,500 TV and radio stations across the US. It has been the primary steward of federal funds to public media entities in the US since 1967.
PBS previously said the “consequences for local stations would be swift and devastating” if the bill was enacted, urging the US public to take action and contact lawmakers.
Miguel Monteverde, senior VP and general manager of Weta, a Washington DC-based PBS member station, recently said the funding cuts will mean many PBS member stations “simply cease operations, and for the rest, services may have to be significantly reduced.”
In the case of Weta, he said it would be losing out on around US$9m in annual funding over the next two years, and while it “isn’t in danger of closing its doors,” it will be forced to cut programmes viewers “count on” unless it can plug the financial gap in some other way.
The CPB said it will retain a small team until January 2026 that will be tasked with ensuring its operations are wound down in an orderly manner. It added that it will provide regular updates and guidance for producers and member stations “navigating the profound challenges ahead.”
“Public media has been one of the most trusted institutions in American life, providing educational opportunity, emergency alerts, civil discourse and cultural connection to every corner of the country,” added Harrison.
“We are deeply grateful to our partners across the system for their resilience, leadership and unwavering dedication to serving the American people.”
