Corporation for Public Broadcasting Faces Closure Due to Republican Funding Cuts

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is facing closure due to Republican funding cuts, a decision that will have significant consequences for public media stations and producers across the country. For 60 years, CPB has distributed federal money to support educational programming, local journalism, and emergency communications.

“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.

The closure will result in job losses, with most staff positions ending on September 30. The organization will maintain a small transition team through January 2026 to handle final responsibilities.

Prior to this decision, President Donald Trump had urged Republicans to rescind CPB's funding, arguing that government support of news media "in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence." They passed legislation to do so in July.

The impact of these funding cuts will be felt particularly keenly by rural public radio and television stations that carry National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting Service programming. PBS President Paula Kerger has warned that some of these stations could be forced to shut down entirely.