The Corporation for Public Broadcasting says it will shut down after Congress, following President Donald Trump’s spending cuts, stripped $1.1 billion in previously approved funding.
CPB Begins ‘Orderly Wind-Down’ After Six Decades
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced Friday it will begin winding down operations, citing the passage of a Trump-backed spending bill that eliminates its federal funding.
The decision marks the end of a 60-year legacy supporting locally owned NPR and PBS member stations across the U.S.
“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 in a statement.
Most staff will exit by Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year, with a small team remaining through January 2026 to manage the shutdown.
Trump Administration Cuts Trigger Broad Criticism
The $1.1 billion funding cut for CPB was part of a larger $9 billion rescissions package backed by President Trump and passed by Congress last month. The Trump administration has long pushed to defund CPB, claiming liberal bias at NPR and PBS—claims the organizations have denied.
“Public media has been one of the most trusted institutions in American life,” Harrison said, citing CPB’s role in providing educational content, emergency alerts and cultural programming across the country.
Warren, Sanders Have Slammed GOP’s Spending Cuts Targeting Public Media
Previously, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) voiced his concerns about budget cuts to the CPB, saying, “In the U.S., presidents don’t censor the media. Freedom of the press sets us apart from dictatorships.”
His response followed Trump’s characterization of the Public Broadcasting Service as “radical, woke propaganda.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) also earlier raised alarms about the intent to cut billions from already approved federal spending, saying, “Donald Trump wants to GUT already approved funds for public media like Sesame Street, NPR, and your local stations,” adding, “If he gets away with this, next time he’ll go after your community’s funding for education, housing, climate, you name it.”
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