Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., co-chairman of the Congressional Public Broadcasting Caucus, is seeking to strip out a proposal to claw back CPB’s $1.1 billion in advance funding for FY 2026 and FY 2027 from the 2025 Rescissions Act (HR-4). The lower chamber moves toward GOP leaders’ expected push to pass the measure this week (see 2506030065). Meanwhile, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Sunday rejected a preliminary injunction request from a trio of CPB board members who are challenging Trump’s disputed April move to fire them (see 2504290067).
House GOP leaders are hoping to tee up votes next week on the Trump administration’s promised budget rescission proposal that would claw back CPB’s advance funding for FY 2026 and FY 2027 (see 2505280050), congressional aides and lobbyists told us Tuesday. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, told reporters that the White House had transmitted its rescission proposal to Congress on Tuesday, as expected (see 2506020056). Meanwhile, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said Tuesday he’s filing legislation to codify President Donald Trump’s May executive order blocking CPB from distributing funding for PBS and NPR (see 2505020044).
The Trump administration proposed an increase in the FCC’s annual funding for FY 2026 but simultaneously sought in its budget request, released Friday night, to cut appropriations for NTIA and Agriculture Department broadband programs, including ReConnect. It also confirmed plans to rescind much of CPB’s advance funding for FY26 and FY27 (see 2505280050). Meanwhile, PBS and a Minnesota public TV station sued the administration Friday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to stop President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking CPB from distributing funding for PBS and NPR (see 2505020044).
A White House OMB spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that President Donald Trump will send Congress a promised $9.4 billion rescissions package next week, seeking to claw back about $1.1 billion in advance CPB funding (see 2504150052). Since January, congressional Republicans have shown growing interest in ending federal funding for public broadcasters amid rancor over what they say is pro-Democratic bias in news coverage (see 2502030064). NPR sued the Trump administration Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block a White House executive order cutting funding for NPR and PBS (see 2505270047).
NPR and three public radio stations filed a lawsuit Tuesday that asks the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block a White House executive order cutting funding for NPR and PBS (see 2505020044).
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, questioned Tuesday whether the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act (SBA), which granted the NFL and other professional sports leagues antitrust immunity to negotiate nationwide broadcast rights, is still fulfilling its “intended goals,” given fans’ frustration with fragmented access to games. “The shift to streaming isn’t just frustrating -- it can be expensive,” Cruz said during a committee hearing. “Between league-specific packages and games behind different streaming paywalls, it can cost hundreds of dollars a year for a hardcore fan wanting to watch all of a league’s games.”
House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Doris Matsui, D-Calif., and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., criticized President Donald Trump on Friday for issuing an executive order instructing CPB to cease funding NPR and PBS (see 2505020044).
President Donald Trump's executive order late Thursday instructing CPB to cease funding NPR and PBS may not have an immediate effect on stations and will likely be challenged as part of CPB’s existing lawsuit, which disputes executive branch jurisdiction over the private corporation (see 2504290067), attorneys told us. Trump followed up on the order Friday, again proposing eliminating federal CPB funding as part of his FY 2026 discretionary budget request. Meanwhile, some pro-CPB congressional appropriators are warily eyeing Trump’s pending request that Capitol Hill claw back $1.1 billion in advance funding for the entity (see 2504150052).
President Donald Trump intends to request that Congress claw back about $1.1 billion in advance CPB funding as part of a broader $9.3 billion funding rescission package, White House OMB Director Russell Vought confirmed Tuesday. Set for later this month, the proposal reportedly targets $535 million in advance annual funding for CPB in fiscal years 2026 and 2027, which Congress allocated as part of an FY 2024 appropriations package (see 2403210067) and March continuing resolution that extended the allocation through Sept. 30. Congressional Republicans have shown growing interest since January in ending federal funding for public broadcasters amid rancor over what they perceive as pro-Democratic bias in news coverage (see 2502030064).
House Oversight Committee members in both parties appeared not to move from their existing positions on cutting federal CPB funding after a dramatic Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee hearing on perceived public broadcasting bias Wednesday (see 2503210040). GOP lawmakers appeared to still favor zeroing the money, with some telling us they want to push it through via a coming budget reconciliation package rather than wait for the FY 2026 appropriations process. Democrats backed maintaining the CPB appropriation and mocked Republicans for holding the hearing instead of probing perceived Trump administration abuses. CPB funding opponents got a boost when President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday afternoon that he “would love to” see Congress defund public broadcasters.