Elimination of Public Media Funding Requested by White House

May 13, 2025 - 11:59 am

The White House has put forth an annual budget that requests eliminating public media funding at the federal level for FY26. The proposal asks Congress to eliminate nearly all $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which supports more than 1,500 non-profit stations across the country, including KBCS.

As it stands, the White House’s proposed budget would eliminate the federal investment that powers trusted journalism and educational programming that local communities rely on every day. It’s part of a bigger goal to destabilize independent journalism.

We rely on two pillars of support: federal support and private support from listeners like you. Right now, KBCS needs your help more than ever. While federal support only makes up 10% of KBCS’s budget, that translates into a funding gap of $120,000 annually that we will have to make up in order to continue the programming you and our community rely on. 

What You Can Do

Financial Support

Individual listeners are, and always have been, KBCS’s most reliable source of funding. That’s why I ask that if you’ve yet to do so, become an active KBCS contributor now. If you are already giving, I cannot thank you enough, and hope you’ll consider an additional gift or an increase to your monthly contribution. Your support is the most effective way to insulate KBCS from the threat of this potential loss of funding. 

Advocate

You can also take action by emailing or calling your representative and urging them to oppose the elimination of public media funding to stations like KBCS. To find your representative and contact them, we recommend visiting the Protect My Public Media website: protectmypublicmedia.org.

What Happens Next

Under the rescissions process, once the White House submits the package, Congress has 45 days to vote on whether fundning will continue or be stripped away. But a vote could happen at any point during that window. The Senate can pass a rescission with just a simple majority of just 50 votes, making every vote critically important.

That means Congress could revoke public media funding that’s already been approved and committed to stations — all within a matter of weeks.

We are following next steps closely and will provide updates as we know more. In the meantime, we thank you for your steadfast support of KBCS and independent media as a whole.