For years, many lawmakers have called on Congress to revoke or reduce federal funding for public broadcasting corporations, primarily citing concerns about political bias in programming.
Last week, their calls were answered.
By a margin of 216–213 in the House and 51–48 in the Senate, Congress voted to follow the request of DOGE and an executive order by President Donald J. Trump, stripping the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) of $1.1 billion in federal funding.
This change aligns with the interests of many taxpayers who have long objected to their dollars subsidizing politically biased reporting.
Such bias has played a role in the ongoing decline in the public’s trust in media, as recently noted by the newly appointed FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty:
“Americans are increasingly skeptical of media institutions, with trust in media at historic lows. That reality cannot be ignored. It is not unreasonable for taxpayers to expect transparency, accountability, and balance from any outlet receiving federal support.”
The loss of federal funding for CPB—which supports local stations that carry PBS and NPR programming—would significantly affect public media.
At the same time, this legislation leaves the playing field, returning public broadcasting to the market competition that religious broadcasters have always withstood—in fairness, and with no handouts from the government.
As NRB President & CEO Troy A. Miller said in a recent statement, “Public broadcasting has long benefited from taxpayer dollars while excluding many voices, especially faith-based and conservative perspectives.”
This move marks a step toward greater ideological fairness in broadcasting, a renewed trust in the wisdom of the free market, and an end to taxpayer funding of media content that many Americans believe does not reflect their values.