(WASHINGTON)— PEN America released the following statement today in response to the 51-48 vote in the Senate to claw back funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the nonprofit that receives congressional appropriations to support NPR, PBS, and local TV and radio stations across the country. The $9 billion rescission request included about $1.1 billion in federal funding cuts for public media, cuts that will disproportionately impact local and particularly rural communities. It also reduced funding to foreign assistance programs focused on international aid, and may harm local independent media internationally. The House voted, 214-212, on June 12 to pull back this funding. The Senate version will return to the House, where it must pass by Friday.
“The Senate’s vote to strip funding from NPR, PBS, and local TV and radio stations across the country is a stark betrayal of millions of Americans who depend on public media, whether for information during emergencies or for news,” said Tim Richardson, program manager for journalism and disinformation at PEN America. “Congress had the chance to show bipartisan support for public media, as it has for decades, but instead caved to President Trump’s campaign to punish dissent and control what information Americans can access—following the path of so many other institutions that have chosen to capitulate rather than stand up in defense of a free press and democracy. This decision threatens to devastate local stations, especially in rural communities where public media is a lifeline for news, emergency alerts, and educational programming. Any claim that these cuts are about fiscal responsibility rings hollow, given that public media costs each American just $1.60 a year. We call on Congress to support public media during the appropriations process ahead and encourage all Americans to urge their elected leaders to stand up for press freedom.”
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, [email protected], (201) 247-5057