Support public media for ALL!

I urge you to vote against the rescissions package now under Senate review, which would claw back $1.1 billion in previously approved federal funding for public media – and to support full public media funding in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills. A significant majority of this funding goes directly to local stations. If enacted, this proposal would gut essential services our community relies on – putting access to life-saving alerts, educational tools, and trusted local information at risk. The consequences would be swift and severe. The vast majority of Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funding – just $1.60 per person each year – directly supports our local stations. This funding enables them to: • Respond to urgent needs, from natural disasters to the opioid crisis. • Deliver research-backed educational resources that support early learning. • Preserve and share local history, culture, and stories. • Keep communities informed with local information. Rescinding these funds would derail both current and future efforts to strengthen public safety, expand educational opportunity, support economic development, and improve overall community well-being. Public media represents one of the nation’s most efficient public-private partnerships: for every federal dollar, stations raise about seven more. Rescinding this support would do real and lasting damage – and in communities where public media is the only local media source, it could eliminate that lifeline altogether. Stations serving rural, remote, and tribal areas often rely on this support for more than half of their operating budgets. Without it, they could be forced off air, cutting off entire communities from essential services. Multiple studies confirm there is no substitute for this funding. I urge you to protect the vital role public media plays in our community, reject any effort to eliminate federal funding, and protect future level funding that supports essential local station services, including: • $535 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for FY 2027 • $60 million for Public Broadcasting Interconnection • $40 million for the Next Generation Warning System • $31 million for Ready To Learn Thank you for your time and consideration.