Report: Trump May Try Getting Back CPB, NPR Funding

The White House intends to request Congress to rescind over $1 billion in funding for public broadcasting, potentially slashing nearly all federal support for NPR and PBS, according to two sources familiar with the plan. 

The NYTimes reports the proposal targets $1.1 billion allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports public media nationwide, equating to roughly two years of its budget. Most of this funding benefits local stations, NPR, and PBS, though about $100 million for emergency communications would remain untouched.

NPR and PBS rely on government funds for a small portion of their budgets, supplemented by sponsorships and donations, while local stations depend heavily on federal support for newsrooms and programming. The rescission request, part of a larger package also cutting foreign aid, would require Congress to vote within 45 days of submission, expected soon. 

If Congress rejects the request, the funds must be used as originally allocated.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) applauded the plan Monday, tweeting: “NPR and PBS have a right to publish their biased coverage — but they don’t have a right to spend taxpayer money on it. It’s time to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.”