***IMMEDIATE ACTION***PROTECT PUBLIC BROADCASTING: VOTE NO ON TRUMP’S RESCISSION REQUEST [6-11-25]
On June 3, Trump formally asked Congress to take back the entire $1.1 billion already awarded to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting through September 2027. These proposed cuts are part of a larger package seeking an additional $8.3 billion in clawbacks from worthwhile foreign aid programs.
While Congress has until July 14 to accept or reject this request by majority votes in both Houses, Speaker Johnson ‘s pushing for a vote either today (Wednesday) or tomorrow.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), while accounting for less than 0.01% of the federal budget, is an essential source of funding for more than 1,500 local public television and radio stations around the country. For over 50 years they’ve brought free, impartial, and reliable local and national reporting, jazz and classical music, local culture shows and sporting events, food programs, and crucial emergency alerts to millions of homes.
Although PBS and NPR receive most funding elsewhere, smaller and underserved communities and rural areas would be particularly hard hit by the rescission, since their stations provide a lifeline in communities without other local media.
Eliminating CPB funding isn’t about budget cuts. It’s about silencing the free press, obscuring the truth, and clearing the path for unchecked propaganda—a classic authoritarian move.
Beginning today, my Members of Congress must speak out forcefully against this rescission, paint proponents as First Amendment deniers, educating colleagues and voters how American democracy requires a free and independent press, and promise to hold proponents responsible in 2026 for shutting down the CPB and creating news deserts in their communities.
ACTION One: Call the Senate.
SEN. MERKLEY: Portland office: 503-326-3386 | D.C. office: 202-224-3753
SEN. WYDEN: Portland office: 503-326-7525 | D.C. office: 202-224-5244
