GOP wants to defund NPR, PBS

What you probably already know: Congressional Republicans are calling for the defunding of PBS and NPR, accusing the nonprofit media outlets of producing politically one-sided programming. The leaders of both public broadcasting organizations recently testified before a congressional subcommittee led by Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. “We believe that you all can hate us on your own dime,” Greene told them. Hours later, President Donald Trump blasted NPR and PBS on Truth Social, calling them “two horrible and completely biased platforms” representing “the Radical Left Democrat Party.” Trump called for their immediate defunding. A bill reintroduced the next day seeks to end all government funding for the U.S.-chartered Corporation for Public Broadcasting. If it passes, hundreds of stations — particularly those in rural areas — could be cut off at the knees.

Why? The CPB receives about $535 million annually from the Treasury, over 70% of which is allocated to local public media stations. PBS and NPR are funded directly through the CPB and through local, independently owned public media stations that pay membership or programming fees. Member stations receive an average of 10% of their funding from the CPB. Rural stations are more dependent on federal support, which is partly why public broadcasting has long enjoyed bipartisan protection. In regions where populations are sparse, NPR and PBS member stations are some of the only reliable sources of information.

What it means: More than 1,500 locally owned and operated public media stations exist across the U.S. Loss of federal funding could limit or cancel NPR and PBS member stations that air critical information during emergencies, leaving residents who don’t have internet access or who lose cell service without an important resource. Job losses would be all but guaranteed, disproportionately impacting women who made up 57% of NPR’s workforce as of 2024. Data shows NPR’s audience also skews slightly female, so changes to its programming would impact more women viewers than men. As for PBS, public data suggests viewership reflects local demographics with the average viewer being a homeowning woman in her 30s or 40s with at least one child under the age of 11. PBS viewers are also 44% more likely to hold doctorate degrees, 126% more likely to have investments worth over $250,000, and make more money than the average viewer. It stands to reason that successful professionals and their families would lose out on programming that has been ranked the No. 1 educational media brand for children.

What happens now? A Pew Research Center survey found 24% of Americans think public media should be defunded, while 43% disagree. The same survey found 32% of Democrats say they regularly get news from NPR, compared to 9% of Republicans. Thirty-one percent of Democrats and 11% of Republicans regularly get news from PBS. If Congress defunds public media, NPR execs predict a surge in donations would help correct the imbalance, though smaller stations would likely suffer greater losses. PBS might fare worse, since it relies on more direct funding from the CPB.