Tri-Caucus Leaders Sound Alarm on Cuts to Public Broadcasting

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Chairs of the Congressional Tri-Caucus—Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06), Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair Rep. Yvette Clarke (NY-09), and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chair Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13)—led a letter urging Senate leadership to reject President Trump’s rescissions package that includes over $1 billion in cuts for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). 

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting supports more than 1,500 locally operated public television and radio stations nationwide and funds high-quality, educational content for children and underserved communities. Examples of CPB-funded programming include well-known shows such as “Sesame Street,” “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” “Reading Rainbow,” “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” “PBS NewsHour,” and “Frontline.” 

The rescissions package requested by President Trump and passed by House Republicans would claw back $1.1 billion in funding for the CPB that Congress had already approved on a bipartisan basis. If passed by the Senate, this rescissions package will shutter local radio and TV stations that provide news, educational programming, and emergency alerts for millions of Americans, including families without access to reliable broadband, cable, or streaming services. These cuts may take place as soon as this fall, leaving children across the country without access to educational content. 

“CPB’s elimination would decimate public media infrastructure, as the vast majority of its funding goes directly to local stations, many of which rely on it for over half their operating budgets. In rural and tribal areas, this would shut down stations that serve as lifelines for public safety, education, and culturally relevant programming,” wrote the lawmakers. “Eighty percent of Native American and Alaska Native communities are rural or remote, and public television is often the only station reaching them consistently.” 

The federal government is the largest single funding source for public television and radio stations. Every state in the country is set to lose millions in funding for local public radio and TV stations if the rescission package passes the U.S. Senate in its current form. 

“At a time when misinformation and division are on the rise, public media remains one of the most trusted institutions in America. Slashing its funding won’t save taxpayer dollars as promised; it will cost Americans access to education, safety, and connection,” the lawmakers continued. “We urge you to reject this shortsighted and dangerous proposal and protect public media for the communities who depend on it most.” 

Full text of the letter is below. A PDF copy of the letter is available here. 

July 15, 2025 

Dear Leader Thune and Leader Schumer: 

As Chairs of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), we write to express our grave concerns about the White House rescissions package that was transmitted to Congress on June 3, 2025, and passed by the House of Representatives on June 12, 2025. We specifically urge you to oppose the proposed rescission of already appropriated funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. 

If enacted, the proposal to eliminate all federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) would gut essential services and put public safety, education, and local cultural storytelling at immediate risk, especially in rural and underserved communities. 

The federal government is the largest single funding source for public television and radio stations. This funding relationship, built over decades with bipartisan support, plays a particularly vital role in smaller, more rural, and isolated communities with limited access to local news and emergency alerts. For example, Senator Mike Rounds has warned that Native American radio stations in South Dakota “will not continue to exist” if their funding is cut without replacement.^[1]   

CPB’s elimination would decimate public media infrastructure, as the vast majority of its funding goes directly to local stations, many of which rely on it for over half their operating budgets. In rural and tribal areas, this would shut down stations that serve as lifelines for public safety, education, and culturally relevant programming. Eighty percent of Native American and Alaska Native communities are rural or remote, and public television is often the only station reaching them consistently. 

Public media remains one of the few consistent federal investments in culturally responsive education. Nearly 40 percent of Black preschool-aged children are not enrolled in formal early education, and for many, PBS, which is powered by CPB funding, is their only free early-learning resource. CPB also funds independent filmmakers and diverse storytellers whose work, like Asian Americans, Pacific Heartbeat, or VOCES, reaches millions and builds cultural understanding across communities. 

At a time when misinformation and division are on the rise, public media remains one of the most trusted institutions in America. Slashing its funding won’t save taxpayer dollars as promised; it will cost Americans access to education, safety, and connection.  

We urge you to reject this shortsighted and dangerous proposal and protect public media for the communities who depend on it most. 

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Founded in 1994, the bicameral Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus is composed of 82 members of Congress who advocate on behalf of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. The Caucus is led by Congresswoman Grace Meng, who was elected CAPAC Chair in 2024.